It is About My Future
by Nuncianancy
Summary: SPOILER ALERT-Post Watershed. Beckett and Castle are engaged and she accepted the job on the AG's Task Force. Beckett is taken by surprise by the way their lives start to evolve from this point forward. Will they survive all of these changes? My take on Season 6 based on episode descriptions and behind the scene pictures. I don't own Castle.
1. Chapter 1

It's About My Future

Beckett watched another Vine video from Castle. This one was at the morgue. Lanie pulled back a sheet to reveal Espo, Ryan and Castle lying on the autopsy table each holding a card with the words WE MISS YOU in block letters written on them. Beckett smiled at her phone as she watched the Vine video repeat. She missed them too.

Lanie was not only an NYPD coroner and a colleague, but also as close to a best friend as Kate Beckett had had since college. Detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan were not only part her team at the 12th Precinct's Homicide Department; they were like brothers. Even Captain Victoria Gates had become more of a mentor than a boss, and Beckett missed them all. Especially, Richard Castle the famous mystery writer and her partner for the past five years. She had said yes when he proposed and they were now happily engaged. But she had also told him that she had accepted the job offer she had gotten from the United States Attorney General to join the AG's Investigative Task Force. It was a step up the ladder, a chance to do more, but it meant leaving the NYPD where she had worked for the past twelve years and moving to DC. She would have to leave her home, her father, and her new family; Castle's family which included his daughter, Alexis, and his mother, Martha.

Castle had helped her move into her "temporary" furnished apartment in DC but had not spent more than a week at one time at the apartment since the move. He commuted back and forth between New York and DC because he was busy adding the final touches to his latest Nikki Heat novel and promoting his ebook, Storm Front. While in New York, Castle dropped in at the 12 Precinct and consulted with Esposito and Ryan on cases. Surprisingly, Captain Gates had allowed him to continue to consult while she tried to find qualified replacements for both Beckett and Castle. He had also stayed away from DC so that Kate could focus on her training without him to distract her, but she really missed him as her partner and her fiancé.

Beckett's training would require her to remain in DC for twelve weeks, after which she would be assigned to one of the major cities on the east coast: DC, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, or Miami. She had already requested New York City for obvious reasons. Beckett had spent the first six weeks of her training with the AG's Task Force traveling back and forth to Quantico, Virginia to attend training seminars at the FBI. She enjoyed the training but felt unsatisfied with the work. After the first six weeks she was assigned a partner, Mary McAdams. McAdams was older than Beckett and had spent ten years as a US Marshall in Boston before being recruited to the AG's Task Force two years earlier. She was extremely ambitious and extremely capable. McAdams had no desire to return to Boston. Her sights were set on DC and she was looking to move up the ladder as soon as possible. Beckett liked her but could tell that her partner was only interested in results, not friendship. Unlike Castle, she was all business and hardly ever cracked a smile.

Beckett and McAdams' first assignment together involved a breach of protocol at the House of Representatives. Their investigation, if you could call it that, involved duplicating the actions of the FBI and Capital Police. No one wanted to work with them and it was difficult to get information from the other agencies. McAdams and Beckett ran into brick walls everywhere. In the end, the FBI cracked the case and all Beckett and McAdams could do was to write their report for the AG. McAdams railed about their ineffectiveness. Beckett realized from her experience with Stack that he had needed her and her team to crack the Drone Case. If she was to be effective at her job, she would have to learn to manipulate others to achieve results.

As weeks passed, Beckett feared that the move to the AG's office was a step down instead of a step up. She had less power as a special agent for the Attorney General's Task Force than she did as a New York City Detective. Stack was a full-fledged agent with the ear of the Deputy Attorney General but she and McAdams did not have any influence and felt more like clerks and technicians reviewing records and videos and doing grunt work like canvassing.

She looked forward to Castles visits. He would make an event of the little time they spent together. On a couple of occasions when she came home late he would give her a full body massage or surprise her with candles, a bubble bath and wine. He made her lavish dinners and delicious breakfasts. He did her laundry, picked up her dry cleaning and bought her crazy gifts that made her laugh like the elephant trunk toilet tissue holder, a Wrist Jockey IPod Nano watch, custom pillow cases with his face on them, a Little Chief Electric Smoker, an old fashioned theater popcorn maker and more. Most of the gifts were useless but she loved every single one of them. Castle even gave her a gold metal with the insignia of Nebula 9 engraved on it for completing her six week training at Quantico. She adored him and couldn't wait to be married to him.

Beckett looked at the Vine video one last time and turned off her computer. It was 8:15 and she was ready to pack it in. McAdams had left an hour ago and Beckett had meant to follow her out but had sat at her desk fingering through all the texts, pictures and videos Castle had sent her since she had started with the AG's Task Force. Castle was in New York, and she had a date with him on FaceTime at 9:00 pm. She tried to call, or text, or FaceTime at least once a day. They mostly kept in touch through text messages because it was less intrusive to their busy schedules.

As Beckett arrived at her "temporary" furnished apartment Castle surprised her at the door, dressed in an apron and Chef's hat. Kate jump into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Castle, I'm so happy to see you," she said.

"I can see that," Castle responded. He held her in his arms and carried her to the bar stool in the kitchen. He sat her down and kissed her. "I missed you," he whispered between kisses. "I really missed you."

"But I thought you were helping Javi and Kevin on a case, and had an important meeting with Gina tomorrow afternoon," Kate said.

"I am but I missed you and took the shuttle down and I'm scheduled to leave on it tomorrow morning. Our case has hit a wall and the meeting at my publishers is after lunch." He pulled away from her and she missed him the minute he left her arms. "Are you hungry? Because I stopped by Trattoria Bertolini and picked up your favorite, Cioppino." He said with a big smile.

"Castle, that's perfect. I am starving. I can't remember whether I ate lunch today." Castle served her a bowl of the seafood stew and a large slice of Italian bread. Then he poured them both a glass of wine to go with their meal. "Oh my God, this smells heavenly."

Castle smiled with pride. He knew she wouldn't have eaten and was happy he could feed her. "Well, dig in." He moved around the kitchen island and sat next to her at the breakfast bar.

Beckett noticed that Castle had served himself a smaller portion of the Cioppino and had not sliced any bread for himself. He had been eating less lately and losing weight. He was almost at the same weight he had been when they first met. She hadn't seen him work out but she could see and feel his muscles becoming more defined. She really didn't care if he lost weight or not but she did appreciate the effort. If she weren't so hungry, she would take him on the kitchen table.

"I have Tiramisu for later." Castle said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Are you trying to fatten me up Mr. Castle?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've been told that the way to a woman's heart is threw her stomach." Castle responded with a wink.

Kate leaned over and put her hand on his cheek. "You have my heart. I love you." She kissed him.

"I love you too." He kissed her back. "Now eat." He worried about her while he was away. "What are you working on right now?" He asked.

Beckett turned back to her food. "Castle, you know that what I do is classified. I can't talk about it with you. Why don't you tell me about the case you are working with the boys at the 12th."

"Well, they found Angela Steward drown in her bathtub. The water had soaked through the floor below and the down stairs neighbors called the Super to complain about the water stain on their ceiling. He found her in the tub with the water running. She lived alone and Lanie estimated the time of death was between 6:30 and 8:30 the night before." He paused between bites. "We cleared family and co-workers. They all alibied out. She worked at an art gallery in SoHo." Castle told her.

"Was she an artist?" Beckett asked.

"No, but she did come in contact with a lot of artist at the gallery. I know what you're thinking. We looked at the art angle and couldn't find anything." Castle said.

"Had she been acting nervously or out of character before her murder?" Kate inquired.

"No." Castle responded. "Her friends, family and co-workers said that they had not noticed a change in her behavior. She wasn't married and wasn't dating anyone. She was planning a weekend getaway with her girl friends. So it wasn't suicide. Lanie says that she wasn't sexually assaulted, and a tox screen did not show any drugs in her system, and there was no evidence of blunt force injury." Castle continued.

Kate became more and more intrigued by the case. "Could she have died of natural causes? Was there evidence of foul play?"

"There was a window that had been jimmied open and Lanie found bruising around her neck and shoulders. She suspects that someone may have held her head down in the water until she drown."

"Did you look into the lives of the neighbors?" Beckett questioned.

"Are you thinking that maybe it was a matter of mistaken identity?" Kate nodded her head. Castle continued, "So, someone broke into the wrong apartment and killed the wrong girl. Then, we are looking for someone in her building that looks like her." Castle says excitedly.

"The hitter may have gotten the wrong address, broke into the apartment and murdered a person who fit the description of the victim." Kate says, leaning into Castle.

"Or the hitter followed the wrong woman home and killed her." Castle mused. "Although, that would be harder to investigate."

"I like my theory better." Kate responded.

"I should call Tori." Castle said pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Kate raised an eyebrow and took his phone out of his hand. "Tori? Why are you calling Tori?" Tori Ellis was a tech who had helped the team reviewing and scrubbing video on recent cases. She was young, beautiful and good at her job. She had helped the team on the Big Foot, Eric Vaughn and Drone cases. Kate looked down at Castle's phone and saw a very attractive picture of the dark haired beauty in Castle's contacts.

"She's my new partner." Kate felt as though she had just been slapped across the face. "Well, on this case at least. Gates is grooming her to take your place." Castle smiled innocently. He could see the surprise in her eyes and a bit of jealousy. "You said it was okay if I kept working at the 12th." He said in a whine like he had gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Yeah. No, I get it. Sure, not a problem." She sucked in the air around them and Kate had to admit she was very jealous. Before she could stop herself she said, "Is she your new muse for Nikki Heat?" She gave him back the phone and turned away to clear the dishes.

"Are you jealous, Kate?" Castle asked.

Kate turned back to him but would not look in his eyes. "I am your muse, not Ellis."

"Kate, you are and will always be Nikki Heat." He reached out but she skillfully avoided his grasp. "We talked about this. You left suddenly and Gates wants to replace you and me, as it turns out, with a team that has the same chemistry we had. I am just helping out until she finds a match for her."

Kate knew it was unfair to make a big deal out of this since it had been her choice to break their partnership, but she had to admit that it stung to have him call another detective his partner, especially one that looked like Ellis. "I know I don't have a right to say this given my choice to take this job but I don't like you working with another partner."

Castle ran his hand threw his hair. "You want me to stop, Kate?" She bit her lip and nodded her head. "Kate, you know my process. I need to work on cases to inspire my novels. You have your career and I have mine. I follow people to add authenticity to my characters and stories."

"Castle, we are getting married and I may be assigned to another city. You can't keep working at the 12th Precinct," Kate said.

"And if you are assigned another city, we will move their together and my agent and I will try to find a law enforcement agency to research. You will not allow me to talk to the AG's Office about working with you on cases. You can't share any information at all about your cases, so I need to find another source." Castle spoke slowly hoping his reasoning would sink in.

She had just assumed that once they were married he would work at home. She never considered that he might want to keep working with cops.

"My career is as important to me as your career is to you. I can stop working with Ellis if it really bothers you but I can't stop working with cops." He explained.

Kate had not really considered what their life would be like if she took this job. He had said that if she took the job they would never see each other and that would be the end of their relationship. She had known he was right but had hope she could have it all. She had imagined that she would be happy "doing more" and coming home to him every night. She hadn't considered what life would be like for him while she was away working on the Task Force. Of course, he wouldn't just sit home writing, waiting for her at the door like a dog with his tail wagging happily until his master's return. He would need to be around other people, feeding his curiosity.

Kate looked down at her shoes and sighed. Castle took her in his arms and kissed her head. "Kate, if this is going to work between us we both need to compromise. And we both need to understand who we are. I'll stop working with Ellis if it bothers you that much. But I can't promise to stop working with other cops" She wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed again.

"No, Castle. I trust you. I just miss you so much. I'm not sure I made the right decision." This was the first time she had expressed her doubts to him. "Call Ellis and tell her to canvas the building where your vic was murdered." She smiled up at him.

He took his phone and in full view of Kate, called Esposito. She smiled at him and headed for the bedroom.

"Okay," Castle said as he entered their bedroom. "Ryan and Espo will send some uniforms to canvas the building." Kate was undressing as he spoke. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She turned in his arms and hugged him tightly.

"I really missed you Castle." Kate said. She took his face in her hands and pulled him in for a tender kiss. Her hands slipped from his face through his hair as their kiss became more heated. She pushed him toward the bed and he fell onto the bed with her in his arms. She pushed away from him. Having straddled his hips, she eagerly started unbuttoning his shirt.

"I can see just how much you missed me," he teased.

"You have no idea," Kate said.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Castle woke up early the next morning. He looked at his watch. It was 6:00 am and Beckett was still asleep after their night of bliss. Her long caramel hair spilled over the side of the bed. She was lying on her stomach with her bare arm wrapped around a pillow with Castle's likeness on it. Castle smiled down at her. She looked so peaceful and beautiful lying naked in their bed.

Castle's flight back to New York wasn't until 8:45 that morning. He knew he didn't have enough time to make his special pancakes but if he ran out right now he could get to their favorite local coffee shop and buy her a two pump, sugar free, nonfat vanilla latte and her favorite pastry, a freshly baked mini Panettone that she would eat with Nutela. He threw on a pair of jeans, a jacket and slipped into his shoes. No time for underwear, socks or a shirt. He grabbed his wallet and headed out the door, hoping he would make it back before she woke up. In his haste, he forgot his cell phone but there was no time to retrieve it if he was going to make his flight back to New York.

While Castle was away, his cell phone rang. Kate stirred, only to find that Castle was not in their bed. The phone rang again. It was the theme from Dragnet. That used to be his ring tone for her. She knew he changed it to the wedding march since their engagement. Curious, she looked down at his phone and saw Tori Ellis' picture. Unable to help herself, she answered.

"Hello," she said.

"Oh! Hello Detective Beckett. I mean Agent Beckett. Is Castle around?" Ellis inquired.

Kate rolled her eyes, "Hang on Ellis." Kate climbed out of bed looking for Castle in the small apartment. His underwear, socks and shirt were still lying on the floor but his pants and jacket were missing. She surmises that he must have run out for coffee. "Sorry, Castle's unavailable at the moment. Can I take a message?" Kate asked the younger woman.

"Well, I guess it's alright to tell you. Please let him know that we caught another body, and that he should give me a call when he becomes available." Ellis said. It hadn't been that long ago that Kate was the one calling Castle to let him know that they had caught a body.

Kate's curiosity got the best of her and she asked, "Where was the body found? You know…So that I can tell Castle. Does the woman fit the same descriptors as Steward?" Kate wondered if they found the intended victim of the possible hit that she and Castle had discussed the night before.

"She does." Ellis paused for a moment and Kate could hear her leafing through pages of a notebook. She continued, "Yes. White female in her mid-twenties, brown hair and single. Her name was Lisa Cole. She was found drown in her tub this morning by her roommate. She lived two blocks away from Steward's apartment on Lexington. Please tell Castle to call me when he is available? Detective's Ryan and Esposito are sending me to the precinct to examine video from the building and from nearby traffic cams. I'll text him the address to the crime scene."

At that moment it dawned on Kate that Castle hadn't told Ellis he was flying to DC. Ryan and Esposito mustn't have told her either. "I'm sorry but Castle is in DC right now. He's flying back to New York in a few hours but he has an appointment with his publisher this afternoon. So I don't think he'll be available to help you today." Kate said with a small sense of satisfaction that her fiancé wouldn't be able to shadow his new muse.

"Well, please let him know that I called, and to call me when he gets a chance. I think he is going to like this case." There was no animosity in Ellis' voice. Kate thought that maybe she was blowing this new partnership out of proportion.

"Sure Ellis." Then Kate asked, "Hey, Ellis? What made you decide to go from tech to homicide detective?"

"I was helping Esposito, Ryan and Castle on a case. You know, reviewing video, and Castle suggested I talk to Gates about a promotion to detective. He said I reminded him of you. He told me he would volunteer to be my partner and teach me your techniques until she found somebody to replace him. I asked Gates and she agreed. You are a very lucky woman, Agent Beckett. He is a great guy." Kate could hear someone calling Ellis in the background. "Sorry Beckett. I have to run. Take care." Ellis hung up before Kate could say anything else. She held the phone away from her staring at Ellis' picture. Hadn't Castle said that it was Gate's idea to pair her with Castle? Why would he want to help her out if it wasn't to use the partnership in a book? Kate wondered.

Maybe she would be his next muse for Derrick Storm like he had used Scarlet Jones, Bo Randolph former body guard, for his ebook, _Storm Front_. Despite the fact that Jones had not protected her boss from his murderer, the boys had been impressed with the Asian beauty when they had heard she had broken the nose of a man in defending her boss. Esposito had even asked Jones out on a date.

Of course, Kate had not asked Castle if Jones had been the inspiration for Chinese Agent Ling Xi Bang (pronounced "She Bang"). She had hated the name for obvious reasons, and she had hated the character because it was clear that Kate had not been the inspiration. Since Castle imagined himself to be Derrick Storm it annoyed her that she wasn't the inspiration for his femme fatale. When Castle had asked her for her opinion of the book, all she said was that it was classic Derrick Storm. She had loved reading about Katya Beckescu, and enjoyed the nod to Esposito and Ryan but had felt jealous about his leading ladies because she hadn't been the inspiration for either of them. She wasn't as upset about Clara Strike because she had been such a big part of the Derrick Storm novels all along, but Xi Bang was different. Storm may have loved Ling Xi Bang and that made Kate jealous.

"Oh no, you're up." Castle said as he entered the bedroom, his words pulling her away from her thoughts. "I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed." He held up the coffee and bag of pastries and placed them on the night stand. He looked at his phone in her hand. She was still holding it away from herself. Fortunately, the screen had turned black and he did not catch her looking at Ellis' picture.

"Yeah, Ellis called. They found another body, a Lisa Cole. White female in her mid-twenties, brown hair, single found drown this morning by her roommate. She didn't live is Steward's apartment building. So our prior scenario doesn't fit, unless the address was really off." Kate said.

"And I missed it!" Castle exclaimed. Kate cocked her head to one side disapprovingly. Castle immediately tried to recover. "Of course, I am much happier here with you instead of some macabre crime scene" he smiled innocently.

"Castle, you don't have to pretend to be happy to be here. I know you. You'd rather be at the crime scene. It's who you are. See, I really do know you." She smirked and gave him a sisterly peck on the cheek.

Castle shrugged off his jacket and took the still naked Kate into his arms. "I'll show you just how happy I am to be here." He said in a husky tone as he pulled her with him to the bed. Kate chuckled as she undid his pants.

Castle texted her to let her know that he had missed his flight but had caught the next one and would still make his meeting with Gina. Oh joy, thought Beckett. He would make his meeting with his beautiful ex-wife and publisher. Why so jealous? she thought to herself. She had just spent an incredible night and morning with him. He had shown her over and over again how much he missed her, but still she was not happy that he had to leave her.

McAdams drew her attention away from Castle and back to their latest case. "The interview notes from Officer Rosen in Phoenix say that Sargent Grady had been told that he was to follow Republican Congressman Baines and find out the name of all the individuals he met with while in Phoenix."

"Who did he say had ordered him to do that?" She asked.

McAdams said, "Sargent Grady said that his former commanding officer, Captain Reese Wells, had told him he was acting on behalf a classified unit of Army Intelligence."

"Did he tell Rosen the name of the unit?" Beckett asked.

"Yes." McAdams looked at her computer and said, "He called it FCCU and told Rosen it stood for Forward Command Clandestine Unit. Grady said that it was an elite group working out of INSCOM. Rosen said they didn't have anything to hold him on, so they cut him loose. They found him on the floor dead in his motel the next day. He had been shot execution style. One gunshot to the back of his head. Rosen said that he called INSCOM and was told that they had never heard of any unit called FCCU. What do you think it all means?" McAdams asked.

Beckett thought back to CIA Agents Sophia Turner and Martin Danberg and what they had said about the new world order. "After the cold war was supposedly over, spies and researchers for spy agencies were set adrift. Some of them started working for special interests that could pay a great deal of money for information and muscle. We know that Captain Wells was former army intelligence. He was presumed dead after his last operation in Pakistan. Maybe he has been living under an assumed identity and working with a rouge group of former military intelligence officers." Beckett imagined this was how Senator Bracken had gotten his henchmen. They had all had military training and were willing to kill for the Senator. Could this case be connected to Bracken in some way, Beckett wondered.

"Sargent Grady may have been killed because of what he knew about Wells and his order to follow a sitting Congressman." The Phoenix PD had apprehended Grady when one of the Congressman's aids spotted him taking photos of the Congressman meeting with Phoenix City Councilman Antonio Vargas. Beckett continued, "Word was Vargas was thinking of running for Congress against another Republican. The Republican Party was afraid that if Vargas threw his hat in the race they might lose the seat to the Democratic challenger." The AG's Office referred the matter to the Task Force to investigate because it involved Army Intelligence and a political party. Unlike their prior case, no other agency was officially involved in this aspect of the investigations. Phoenix PD had cooperated fully with the AG's Task Force hoping the AG's office could help them close the case. Finally, Beckett and McAdams had something concrete to investigate. "We should look at Grady's financials. Maybe we can trace the payments. It's likely the money would have been transferred from off shore accounts to hide their tracks. I've done this before and always run into brick walls."

McAdams smiled, "But you weren't working for the Attorney General. Maybe we can find something your team in New York was unable to find."

Beckett looked at her partner, "McAdams, did you hear about the attempted assassination of Senator Bracken a few months ago?"

McAdams nodded, "Yes. I Googled you when we became partners. I read that you saved the Senator's life. Do you think that case is connected?"

"Benjamin Moss was arrested for the attempted murder on Bracken's life. Word was that Moss was a king maker who had helped Bracken ascend through the political ranks. He ordered the hit on Bracken because, according to Bracken, he wouldn't play by the rules. Congressman Baines is a high ranking political figure. Maybe this whole situation has to do with some sort of political struggle. In my experience, these kinds of men use former military officers and former agents to do their political dirty work. Of course, this is all speculation. We need to connect these men to the money and the ops if we want to bring them down." Kate was excited. This case might open new channels of investigation into her mother's murder. It might be a chance to collect the evidence she needed to bring Senator Bracken down once and for all.

"Beckett, investigating Congressman Baines is above our pay grade. If we tell the Deputy Director he will give the case to Stack or one of his other favorites. If we want the credit for this takedown we are going to have to investigate from the bottom up. We start with Sargent Grady and Captain Wells, and we see where it leads." McAdams was right if they mentioned to the Deputy Director that they were investigating the king makers in DC, he would reassign the case to one of his senior agents. If they were going to crack this case, they would have keep it low key. If they could figure out how these people ran their operations she might find a way to bring down Bracken.

McAdams and Beckett worked late into the night reviewing bank statements for both Sergeant Grady and Captain Wells. They found a deposit for $10,000 in an education account Grady had opened in his three year old son's name. They traced the origins of the funds to a bank account in the Cayman Islands. Beckett and McAdams had run into the same walls she and the boys had run into when tracing the funds.

It was 9:45 pm when they finally called it quits for the night and left the office. Beckett had texted Castle to let him know that she was working late and would call him in the morning.

Beckett wanted to crash the minute she opened her door. She had felt exhilarated when they started their investigation, only to run into more walls. She should to tell Castle and the boys what she was doing but to do so would be a breach of protocol. She had sworn not to share any information with anyone outside of her unit. But this involved them. She was no longer the only one in the cross hairs. If Bracken retaliated against Beckett, he would also have to eliminate Castle, Ryan and Esposito, as he had done with Beckett's mother and her colleagues. They all knew too much. She also didn't want to keep secrets from Castle. Secrets had led to heartache. Beckett took out her phone and texted Castle to call her on FaceTime.

She took her IPad and waited for him to call. It wasn't long before the call came in. "Hey Castle," she said.

Her screen filled with a disheveled Castle in his pajamas, sitting on his bed. "You sound as good as I look. I missed you Kate." He raked his fingers through his hair as he adjusted himself against his pillows.

"Castle, I'm putting you on the bed while I get undressed." Kate propped the IPad on her bed and sat in a chair facing the camera. She pulled her shoes off.

"Are we doing video sex, because I'm game if you are?" He smiled as his fiancé took pulled her shirt over her head. He let out a small groan when he caught sight of her lavender bra.

"Rick, I need to talk to you about something important." Her tone was all business.

"Sorry. What's going on?" Castle said. He knew this must be serious because she rarely if ever used his first name. However, he found it hard to concentrate as she stood up and took her pants off followed by her bra. Finally, she pulled one of his t-shirts on and took the IPad to the bed. She spent a couple more seconds adjusting the pillows and the covers before she turned her attention back on him.

"Rick, I may have stumbled on a case that might give us some insight into Bracken's clandestine operations."

"Kate, are you sure you should share this with me?" he asked.

"I am not keeping secrets from you anymore. This affects us both and you have a right to know." She spent the next couple of minutes bringing him up to date on the investigation.

"We're not getting anywhere tracing the money." Kate explained.

"Which agency arrested Moss?" Castle asked.

Castle knew the details of the Moss case as well as she did but she answered the question anyway. "It was the FBI. Why what difference does it make?" She asked.

"How did they connect Moss to Bracken? The payment to the hit man had been too difficult to trace. So how did the FBI get on to Moss?" Castle wondered out loud.

"No way to know. Moss cut a deal soon after his arrest. The matter never went before a Grand Jury." Kate replied.

"We need to find out how they got on to Moss and see if it had anything to do with the money." Castle said.

"If we can find how they got on to Moss, we may use the same investigative technique to get on to whomever Captain Wells if working for," said Kate. "I can see if I can use the AG's office to access information about the Moss case."

"Kate, be careful. You know what Bracken is capable of and he has abided by your agreement so far. Whatever information you find on Bracken, don't act on it until you've had a chance to discuss it with me and the boys. We cannot go after him until we can collect concrete evidence of his bad deeds," Castle cautioned. "I don't want to lose you to this case again."

"That's why I'm telling you all of this, Rick. This isn't about my mother or me anymore. We all know too much and Bracken won't stop at anything." Kate pulled her hair away from her face and over her ear. "I'd feel a lot better if we were working this together." She reached out her hand and her fingers traced his image on the screen.

"Kate, I am always with you no matter where you are." He smiled tenderly. She'd never felt more loved and more alone at the same time. "I love you, sweetheart," he said and she knew he did. "Now lie down with me and fall asleep." She sunk down into the sheets and propped the IPad on the pillow next to her as he did the same on the other end. "Now relax, close your eyes and fall asleep with me Mrs. Castle," and she did.

Writer's Note: When I googled Army Intelligence INSCOM came up.

Kind words are always appreciated as I am not a writer and know my writing is not that great. Hopefully, you'll bear with me and stick around for the story.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was after 8:00 am when Beckett called Castle. "Hello," said a woman into the phone.

"Why are you answering Castle's cell phone?" Kate asked point blank.

"Oh, sorry Beckett. Castle just ran to the restroom. We're at the gym. We've been sparing," Ellis said innocently.

Kate got an image of Castle wrestling Ellis on the mats much like she had done with Demming years earlier. Kate remembered how aroused she had gotten after that session and panicked. "Why are you sparing with my fiancé?" she said possessively.

"Oh, I guess he didn't tell you. He asked me to teach him some hand to hand combat moves because I have a black belt Jiu- Jitsu and am trying to get a coral belt," she explained. Kate rolled her eyes. The image of Ellis wearing tight biker shorts and a sport's bra wrapped around Castle's sweat covered muscular form was something Kate could not abide. But what could she do? She had chosen this arrangement. Kate groaned to herself. As much as she appreciated the fact that he was learning how to defend himself, why did he have to pick Ellis to train him? Esposito would be a more suitable trainer. How much of this was she supposed to take? "Here he is," said Ellis.

Castle came on the line, "Hi Mrs. Castle." He knew she loved it when he called her Mrs. Castle but it would not work this time.

"So, I heard that you're wrestling with Ellis," Kate said, a hint of bitterness in her tone.

Kate could hear Castle say, "Could you excuse me." Then, she heard him clear his throat, "Kate, do you trust me?" Again with the _do you trust me_ line. She wanted to scream, _No Castle, I don't trust you or any man for that matter. All men are horny toads who swoon at the site of the first pretty thing that walks in front of them. I should know. I'm one of those pretty things._ It wasn't about trust. It was about boundaries and propriety. He was a soon to be married man and he should not be sparing with another woman, especially one as beautiful as Ellis.

She finally said, "Not a problem Castle. I heard Eric Vaughn is in town lobbying for harsher sentences for child molesters. He called, and wants to have dinner to get a law enforcement perspective on the matter. He's thinking of hiring me as a consultant on the bill. You don't mind do you?" she happily chirped into the phone.

"Douche, Agent Beckett. But seriously Kate, that was different. He was into you and, as much as I hate to admit it, you were attracted to him. It's not the same with Ellis. She is just helping me get in shape, and teaching me self-defense."

"For the last time, Castle, I was not attracted to Vaugh," she said.

"And I'm not attracted to Ellis," he assured her.

"Why are you so obsessed with getting into shape?"

"I guess you've forgotten that I am getting married to the most extraordinary, sophisticated, beautiful woman in the world, who also happens to be considerably younger than me, and I don't want to look like the rich, old, fat guy robbing the cradle on my wedding day," he confessed.

Kate snorted out a laugh, "You are crazy! Your fiancé is marrying the most ruggedly handsome, charming, energetic, extraordinarily talented man in the world. She is an incredibly lucky lady…just ask your new sparring partner," she put just enough stink on that last part to get her note of disapproval across.

"Did Ellis say something to you about me?" She could hear the glee in his voice. He'd always had a big ego.

"Yes, Castle. And I'm not happy about you training with her. Why don't you train with Espo or Ryan?" she asked.

"I asked them, but they would only do it if I gave them the Ferrari for a month," he whined. "Ellis said she would do it for free," Castle said satisfied with his answer. Kate rolled her eyes. She knew Castle was telling the truth. The boys wouldn't do anything for Castle unless there was something in it for them.

"Give them the Ferrari, Castle. Unless you want me to flying up to New York dressed like Sheena Queen of the Jungle every day to show you my hand to hand combat moves," she said, exasperated.

"Nothing would make me happier," Castle said. "But the AG's office needs you. So, I'll sacrifice the Ferrari for my country."

He recovered quickly, but she knew he would like nothing more than to be with her every day as did she. Kate wanted to tell him to be patient. The training would be over soon, and she would be assigned to a permanent office where they could be together. If they could just hang in a little longer…Oh, who was she kidding? This was tearing her apart.

Realizing that this was not the time to have this discussion, Kate changed the subject. "Castle, tell me about your case."

"Well, you know about our last victim. She had the same bruising on her neck and shoulders as Steward. She wasn't raped and the preliminary tox screen was clear. Lanie is going to run more tests on both women. Someone jimmied her back door to get into her apartment. We cleared family, friends and coworkers just like Steward. She was single and not dating. She had no enemies and she had not been acting strangely before the murder. The murder scenes were almost identical. But I don't think it's a case of mistaken identity. There seems to be no reason why anyone would want to murder either woman," Castle told Kate.

"You think you're dealing with a serial killer?" Kate knew that serial cases were difficult on police departments because the Detectives were under a lot of pressure to find the killer before he or she killed again.

"That would make more sense. But we don't have three bodies yet."

"Any leads?" Kate asked.

Castle sighed into the phone, "Not yet. Ellis has been going through videos from traffic cams and nearby stores trying to find something, but we don't know what to look for yet." She could hear the stress in his voice. This was already taking its toll on them. "Javi and Kevin are looking through Cole's financials," he sighed. "We could really use your insight on this case, Kate."

"Look for a connection between the victims, Castle. Financials is a good start but talk to their friends, neighbors and co-workers for their daily routines. See where their lives intersect. Also, most serials like souvenirs. Examine the crime scene photos for anything out of place," Kate said.

Kate could hear Ellis saying something to Castle. "Kate, I have to go. Ellis said that they found another young woman drown in her tub. I guess it's official. We're dealing with a serial killer." There was a mixture of excitement and dread in Castles tone. "Can we talk tonight?" He asked.

"Of course, I'll text you when I get off. I love you, Castle."

"I love you too, Kate."

As excited as she was to get insight into the world of king makers like Bracken, Kate longed to help her team. Everything she had accomplished at the 12th was due to them. It was the team that had the highest clearance rate, not just her. They all pitched in and worked together. Together they were unstoppable. But she had stopped them, hadn't she? She had caught the brass ring and left them behind. For what…ambition? No, she had been willing to quit her job for Castle a year ago. Was the move to the AG's Task Force a chance to catch her mother's killer? No, she had put that behind her. Had the move been about protecting the team? Maybe, she lived with the guilt of dragging Castle and the boys into this ordeal. Or could this be about fear? Yes, she admitted to herself. But fear of what…had her father been right? Was it because of her fear of commitment, or worst, rejection? Maybe…

Castle and Ellis walked five floors up to the victim's apartment. Lanie and the CSU team were hard at work. Ryan was talking to a young man in the apartment hallway. Ryan introduced Castle and Ellis to the Man, "This is Joel Tyler. He's the victim's roommate. This is Detective Ellis and Mr. Castle. Please start over. What time did you get home?"

Tyler ran his hand over his face, wiping away tears. "I was at my girlfriend's house last night but I needed to get some things before work. So, I came home at about 7:30. I opened the front door and called out Sara's name to let her know I was in the apartment. You know, so that she could cover up if she needed to. We've only been roommates for two months, so we haven't gotten completely used to each other yet," he said. "Anyway, I heard the water running in the bathroom. I thought that was strange because Sara like to shower in the morning. I walked past her bedroom and saw that the door was open and that her clothes were laid out on the bed. I walked over to the bathroom…the door was open… the floor was wet. When I looked inside I saw Sara…" Tyler closed his eyes as if trying to erase the memory.

Castle asked, "What can you tell us about Sara? Was she having any trouble with a boyfriend, girlfriend, family or co-workers?" Castles voice was low and comforting.

"No. She didn't have a boyfriend, She was shy and didn't have many friends. The few friends she had all loved her. I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt her," said Tyler.

"Was she dating?" asked Ellis. Tyler shook his head no.

"Was she having any trouble at work?" asked Ryan.

"No. She worked at a book store in the Village. Sara wanted to be a writer and the bookstore job suited her because it was quiet and allowed her to write. It was just her and the owner. The owner is an elderly man who lost his wife a few years ago. He loved Sara like a daughter." Tyler was overcome with sorrow. He sat down to try and compose himself. Ellis sat with the young man as Ryan and Castle joined Esposito who was talking to one of the CSU technicians.

Ryan asked Espo, "You got anything?"

Espo said, "CSU found a receipt from a bodega near the subway entrance. It was dated last night at 8:13 pm. One of the neighbors passed her in the hall on his way out at approximately 8:30 pm. None of the other neighbors heard or saw anything after that. I'm sending a couple of uniforms with a picture of the victim to the bodega to talk to the clerk. Maybe they will have video that we can review. I'll have Ellis check out the store video and the nearby traffic cams. This building doesn't have any surveillance cameras."

The three men walked over to Lanie who was hovering over the young woman's body. "Good Morning Gentlemen, here we have Sara Mendez, 23, her roommate found in the tub. She has the same bruising on her neck and shoulders as our previous victims. Someone must have held her down. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that she was drown like the other victims."

Castle shook his head, "All three women were found dead in their bath tubs. How did the killer get them into the tubs? There is no evidence of a struggle. Their clothes were laid out neatly on their beds. The killer must have drugged them." He gave Lanie a questioning look.

"I agree," said Lanie. "That's why I am running more tests for drugs that the preliminary tox screens wouldn't pick up. The killer must have medical training. I will look for puncture wounds in all three victims when I get back to the morgue."

"Okay. So we are looking for a doctor, nurse, medical technician, paramedic, and the like." Castle said as Ellis joined them. "Did you get anything else from Mr. Tyler?"

"Her mother was her only family. She lives in Summit, New Jersey," Ellis said.

"I'll call her," Ryan said. Ellis shook her head at him gratefully. They all knew she hated being the one to inform the family. Ellis was a good detective but she would never be as good as Kate Beckett, thought Castle.

"I sent uniforms to check his alibi and to talk to her boss," Ellis said, trying to be useful.

When Kate arrived at the office, she found McAdams logged into her computer re-reading the reports from Phoenix. "Anything?" Kate asked.

"No," McAdams replied. "But I've put some feelers out to my ex-military contacts from the US Marshall's Office and am hoping for a call back soon."

"What do you know about the Moss case?" Beckett asked McAdams.

"Only what I read after I Googled you. Why?"

Beckett had to be careful not to let on that she had discussed the case with Castle. "I was thinking that examining the lines of investigation in that case might give us some ideas on how to approach this case."

"We can't just call the FBI and ask them to give us their files without rousing suspicion," McAdams said. "We need to be discrete. I have a friend there that owes me a favor. Let me see what I can scare up." McAdams pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and exited the office.

Beckett thought about Will. She hadn't kept in touch with him after the FBI had sent him to Europe. He wouldn't have any information on the case. Castle wouldn't be happy is she contacted Will. She could call Jordan Shaw. Beckett had kept in touch with Shaw over the years. Shaw had run names of suspects through the FBI data basis and helped Beckett profile murders on her most difficult cases but Beckett had never asked for her help on her mother's murder. She reminded herself that this was not about her mother's murder. She was investigating the murder of Sergeant Grady. Beckett sent a text to Agent Shaw asking her to give her a call at her earliest convenience.

She logged onto her computer and read Sergeant Grady's statement again. He had been contacted by Captain Wells, and Wells had given him an assignment. Grady was a combat vet but had suffered from PTSD after he came home. He was married and had a three year old son. Wells probably called him because he was desperate for money just like Orlando Costas had been when Cedric Marx, also known as Cole Maddox, hired him to break into Montgomery's house and steal his wedding album. Like Marx and Costas, Grady and Wells had served in the military together. Grady would have recognized him if they had met in person. Therefore, Wells must be alive and living under an assumed name. Beckett recalled that Cedric Marx had been hired by a black ops organization, called Arantas Solutions, after his tour in the military. Arantas Solutions had dissolved before the death of Orlando Costas and its founding members had stated that they had lost all contact with Marx after the organization shut down.

The initial interviews of Grady's wife and friends did not generate any leads into Wells whereabouts. She would have to re-interview them. Finding Wells would be the key.

McAdams returned to the office and said, "My source says that the FBI received a file with evidence implicating Benjamin Moss in the attempted assassination of Senator Bracken. She said that evidence was damning enough to warrant Moss' arrest. Moss never spoke to any of the investigating agents, and his lawyer worked out a deal for his life. The FBI never interviewed him. My contact says that Moss was afraid of something worse than life in prison. Whoever sent the file had probably threatened to kill him in prison if he talked. The FBI never traced the file."

"Another dead end," Beckett sighed. "I think we need to interview Grady's and Wells' families, friends and colleagues. We find Wells we can find who hired him."

"Let's start with Grady's wife. She stuck with him through his PTSD, maybe they were close and he shared information with her," said McAdams. Both women stood and walked to the door.

Beckett's phone rang. It was Agent Shaw. Beckett told McAdams she would catch up and answered the phone, "Jordan, thanks for calling."

"How you doing Kate? I heard about your engagement. I told you he cares about you," Agent Shaw said.

Beckett smiled to herself. Agent Shaw had assumed Beckett and Castle were sleeping together years before when they had all worked on a serial case together. She thought about all the time they had wasted. "How did you know about our engagement?" Beckett asked.

"Castle called my yesterday. He said that he suspected that the 12th may be dealing with a serial killer," Jordan said. Beckett smiled to herself. Castle's intuition was as good as that of a trained detective.

"So, how can I help you, Kate?"

Beckett hated asking Jordan for another favor but felt she had no choice, "I hate to impose but I need all you can get me on two suspects. I can text you their names."

"It's no imposition, Kate. I still owe you both for saving my life. Text me the names and I will run them through all of our data basise. I should have something for you by tomorrow afternoon."

"Thanks Jordan. I owe you," said Beckett.

"No you don't. I'll send you an encrypted email as soon as I get the information. Just remember to invite me to the wedding."

"Jordan," Beckett said. "How do you manage a family and the job?"

"My husband does all the heavy lifting. Curtis works from home as a Content Writer for law offices. When I'm gone we make it a point to try to eat a meal altogether by Skype. But it was very hard, Kate...to balance the job and my family. After my near death experience with Dunn, I cut back a lot. I'm profile from the safety of my office while Special Agent Avery flies to all the crime scenes. We video conference on all our cases. I still get out of the office two or three times a year but not as often as I used to." Jordan paused, "Kate, how are you holding up with your arrangement?"

"I won't lie to you. It's a lot harder than I thought," Beckett said honestly.

"Kate, it can work...a long distance relationship, but only for a little while. If you want to make a long term commitment, I suggest you find a way to wake up in the same bed every morning." Jordan paused and her voice softened, "He's a good man, Kate. A bit cocky but trainable. He's worth the effort...and so are you." Beckett smiled to herself recalling similar words from Jordan years earlier.


	4. Chapter 4

It's About My Future-Chapter 4

"Guys, I think I found something," Ellis said from the doorway of the tech room. "Come look." All three men had just arrived at the precinct from the crime scene. Ellis had accompanied the uniforms to the bodega with a picture of the victim to confirm that she had stopped by the night before and hoping the bodega had video cameras.

"The owner of the bodega told us that the clerk that had worked the night before wouldn't be in for several hours. But he gave us the video tape from the night in question. He said that the sound on the camera didn't work but the video did." All three men sat around the large monitor as Ellis played the video. The camera was mounted on the back wall behind the register and captured the image of Sara Mendez entering the store. Less than a minute later a middle aged man wearing a grey hoody walked in behind her and pulled down the hood. Sara moved to the cooler and took out a six pack of beer. As she approached the register the man looked up at her. "There," Castle said pointing at the screen. "See that? He's checking her out," said Castle.

Sara pulled her ID out of her wallet and handed it to the clerk. The clerk said something to Sara and she responded. Then, the man approached both women and said something to Sara. Sara smiled at the man and handed the clerk her cash. After getting her change, Sara left the store with her six pack. The man asked the clerk for something. The clerk turned to get a small medicine bottle from behind the counter. While the clerk was looking away, the man looked out the front door in Sara's direction. "There, he's checking out which direction she's going," Castle blurted out again. The clerk turned back to the man, and rung up his purchases. He smiled at the clerk, showed her his ID and paid for the items he had purchased, walking out the door in the same direction as Sara.

"I was able to zoom in on the man's license," Ellis clicks a few buttons on the video console and his name appeared. "Ted Nelson," Ellis said.

"So, he hangs around the bodega looking for his mark. He sees the very attractive Sara Mendez enter the bodega and, BAM! He follows her into the bodega and starts a conversation. In his sick mind, he sees it as the start of a beautiful relationship and follows her to her home. He cases the building formulating his plan to break and enter," Castle suddenly stops. He looks at Esposito and Ryan. "But how does he subdue her? There were no signs of a struggle at the crime scene?"

"Let's pay a visit to Lanie," Esposito said.

"No need. I set up a camera at the morgue. We can video conference from here," Ellis said. Ellis punched in a few buttons into the computer. Castle and Esposito smiled at each other, impressed with Ellis' technical skills.

"While you guys are doing that I'm going to do a search on Ted Nelson," said Ryan, leaving the room.

When the video came on Lanie's was leaning over into the camera, her breasts where all they could see. Esposito smiled appreciatively at the monitor. Castle noticed Ellis watching Esposito. Lanie said, "Hang on," as he sat at her desk. "Hi guys. How's this thing working?"

"Looking good Doctor Parish," Esposito said looking back at Castle and Ellis, and noticing Ellis was not smiling. He cleared his throat and said, "Do you have anything new for us?"

"Well, I put time of death for Sara Mendez between 10:00 and 11:00 pm. I found a very small puncture wound on the base of the victim's necks. It was difficult to spot at first because of the bruising around the neck and shoulders. The secondary tox screen on Steward came back with a substance like Ketamine," Lanie said. "I'm checking Cole and Mendez for the same substance."

Castle moved around the room and continued with his earlier story, "So, Nelson cases the women's apartments looking for a way to enter. He breaks in and sneaks up on the women injecting them with a sedative. Maybe he carries a gun or a knife and threatens to kill them if they scream. The women sit silently until the drug takes effect. He takes their clothes off and lays them out neatly on their beds. Once the women pass out he carries them to their bathtubs. He takes pleasure in watching them silently slip under the water and die."

"The women would not have been knocked out because the dose wasn't high enough. They would have been in a highly suggestive state. They would have followed orders. However, once they were under the water they would have struggled. He would have had to force them under the water which accounts for the bruising on the victims' necks and shoulders," Lanie finished.

Returning to the tech room Ryan said, "Get this. Ted Nelson lives two blocks from Sara Mendez."

Thirty minutes later, Esposito, Ryan and Castle approached Ted Nelson's apartment. Ellis had stayed behind to find out as much as she could about Ted Nelson. She called the men from the precinct. She told them that Nelson worked as a dental assistant and would have access to syringes and drugs. "And guys, according to his employer, he has been out sick for the past week," Ellis said.

"This has got to be our guy," Castle said.

Ryan knocked on the door, hand on his gun, and said, "NYPD, open up."

The door opened and upon seeing Esposito's badge Nelson looked scared. His wife and daughters were sitting around the television in the small apartment. The detectives pocketed their shields, and Esposito asked, "Are you Ted Nelson?"

Nelson nodded his head and asked, "What is this all about?"

Ryan said, "Please step outside, Sir." The man did as he was told. Ryan and Castle identified themselves to Mr. Nelson outside the apartment, while Esposito stepped over to his wife to ask her a few questions.

"Did you visit the Tidewater Bodega yesterday evening?" Ryan asked Nelson.

"Yes, I did. I went to get some cold medicine and chips for my youngest daughter," the frightened man said.

"Do you recall seeing this woman last night?" Ryan showed him a picture of Sara Mendez.

"Yes. She went into the store before I did. She looked like one of my daughter's teacher but when I got a better look at her I realized it wasn't her. She was buying a six pack of beer. The clerk asked to see her ID and asked her if she was having a party or just a bad day. The lady in the picture said her roommate was out so she would be drinking alone. I told her it could be worse, she could be nursing a sick child all week. She smiled and left."

Esposito approached Castle and Ryan and signaled them other. "Yo, it wasn't him. The wife said that he had gone to the bodega to get some cold medicine for his daughter at about 8:00 pm. She said he was home before 8:30 because the family sat together to watch a Disney movie on TV. He hasn't left the house since."

"I don't think he's our guy," Castle said feebly.

Ryan smirked at Castle and said, "Right."

The three men turned back to Mr. Nelson. "Mr. Nelson we are sorry about the inconvenience but did you happen to notice if anyone was following the woman in the picture?" The man shook his head. "Thank you for your cooperation, sir. Officer Davis is going to take your statement."

The three men headed for the elevator. "I was sure he was our guy. Our killer is still out there and he's going to kill again if we don't stop him," said Castle.

"Castle, we're not giving up," Ryan said. "We're going to have to be patient if we want to catch him. Like Beckett always said, 'We follow the leads we have, not the leads we want.'" At the mention of Beckett, the three men look at each other. They could really use her leadership and insight right now.

"She told me to look for the connections between the victims, when I spoke to her this morning," Castle said. "Financials for all three victims should be in by now."

"That's the spirit, Castle," Ryan said as they headed back to the precinct.

-Break-

McAdams and Beckett met with Sergeant Grady's wife at her home in Baltimore. "Mrs. Grady did your husband speak to you about his last assignment?" Beckett asked. The women sat in her small living room. The floor was covered with toys, and Grady's three year old son played happily with his Thomas train set.

Sharon Grady was a petite, brown haired, brown eyed woman. She was small but her voice was strong and full of resolve. "Agent Beckett, my husband was not well when he came back from Afghanistan. Like many others he suffered from PTSD. But unlike others, he sought help. He wasn't the stereotype of PTSD that television always shows. He did not drink or do drugs. He did not lash out and he did not startle easily. He did close himself off when he first came home but not from me or our son, but from the outside world. He leaned on me a great deal and told me about his experiences. I would find him watching children playing out on the street…crying. And when I asked him about it, he didn't hold back. He told me everything but…but I couldn't make sense of it all. I didn't know what to say or do. It started to wear on me, and we quickly realized that we both needed to speak to a professional if we were going to get through this together. At first the army ignored our requests. We persisted and they finally gave us the help we needed. Therapy worked, and my husband found that he had a lot to live for," she said, the pain of her loss shone all over her face.

She looked back at her sandy haired, blue eyed son. He looked just like his father. In need of strength, she called him over and took him into her arms. The toddler happily wrapped his arms and legs around his mother. Mrs. Grady kissed him on the top of his head several times, her strength restored after every kiss. She gently set the boy down, and he ran back to his trains.

"Phillip wasn't reckless. He was a smart, ambitious man who wanted to serve his country. He got well, and became a private detective. He used his connections with the military to get work as an outside contractor. It was working. He had been well liked as a platoon sergeant by his soldiers and commanding officers. He started getting a lot of work and we needed it. I assure you, Agent Beckett, my husband was no fool. I've been told that Captain Wells died in Pakistan two years ago and could not have met with my husband to give him an assignment, but he must have faked his death," she said with determination.

"Why do you say that?" Beckett asked openly, not wanting to lead the conversation in any particular direction. Mrs. Grady wanted to talk so she would let her.

"Because I've had a lot of time to think about this," she looked over at her son who continued to play with his trains without a care. "Phillip kept an office in the house. He didn't like typing. He used his computer for research but all his notes regarding his classified assignments, he kept in the safe in our bedroom. Army Intelligence took his computer and file cabinets in the name of national security, but I didn't tell them about the files in the safe." She stood and walked to a large ash wood hutch at one end of the living room. She opened one of its drawers and withdrew a file and a notebook. She ran her hand over the papers as if she was saying good-bye to her husband one last time, and handed the papers over to Beckett. "Everything you need to know about his last assignment is in those papers. Agent Beckett, promise me you will get his killer? My husband deserves justice."

Beckett gave her a head nod and placed a reassuring hand on her arm. "We will do everything we can to find the people responsible for his death," she said. Beckett and McAdams rose to leave and Beckett gave Mrs. Grady her card.

As they closed the front door behind them, McAdams asked, "Do you think he told her the details about the job?"

"No. That's why she gave us the notebook and file. She loved him and he must have loved her very much to open himself up to her like he did. It takes a lot of patience and understanding to stay with someone who is suffering from PTSD. I suspect she was supportive without being intrusive which is almost impossible to do when you love someone as much as she clearly loved him. She is extremely strong." Beckett opened the passenger door of the black Crown Victoria. She paused before getting into the vehicle and looked back at the tiny house and thought about Castle. After her shooting he had tried to help but backed off when she lashed out at him during the sniper case.

She had acted like the stereotypical PTSD sufferer. It had come so close to her own shooting that she couldn't stop replaying the events in her head. She had hardly slept the first night; rubbing her scares all night long. And when she heard the police siren at the second crime scene, she couldn't help but duck for cover. She was on pins and needles, uncomfortable in her own skin. She had never snapped at Castle like she did that day. Talking to Doctor Burke hadn't worked. She wanted a quick fix to get her through it. When she returned to the precinct and the boys took off to arrest Marcus Ford, Castle had covered for her telling them that they would stay behind and prep for Ford's interrogation. Then, she took out all her anger and frustration on Ford. Then again, she snapped at Castle when he had insinuated that she had gone after Ford too hard. Castle could have taken her attacks personaly, instead he brought her coffee. Later that night she had drunk herself into a stupor; flinching at every little sound and shadow in her apartment; cutting herself on broken glass. The walls finally closed in on her at Grace Point Towers. She ran from him; from everyone and broke down. He followed her and must have heard her crying but he did not intrude. When she was ready, she met him outside. He said nothing about her break down. They rode back to the precinct in silence. By then he had noticed the bandage on her arm.

Esposito had told her that Castle had asked him to help her. Javi had helped her see that being damaged wasn't a weakness. It was her strength. She stepped into the snipers shoes and got the break they needed to identify him. Castle, again gave her the space she needed to pursue the sniper on her own. He hadn't treated her as though she was a delicate doll that needed him by her for support. He had stayed behind to help Ryan identify the next victims. After it was all over, she was able to step back into Doctor Burke's office and do the work she needed to deal with her PTSD and her mother's death. She wanted and needed to do the work to be worthy of Castle's kindness, support and love. Although, she was unable to tell him at the time, it was after the sniper case that she had fallen madly in love with him.

Beckett looked at McAdams as they pulled away from Grady's house. She wished she were sitting next to Castle instead. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and texted:

RIGHT NOW! Random moment in my day that I REALLY MISS YOU! LOVE YOU, No Hassel Castle!;)

Seconds, later her phone chirped with a new text from him:

EVERY MOMENT OF THE DAY IS A MOMENT I MISS YOU, ALWAYS.

She smiled and opened Grady's file.

-Break-

"Guys, I think I found something," said Castle. "Hand me the crime scene photos from the Steward murder." Castle, Ryan and Esposito sat in the conference room going through papers. Castle was reviewing the victim's financials. Ryan was searching through appointment books and emails while Esposito reviewed the victims' phone calls. Esposito searched the files in front of him and found the crime scene pictures.

"What have you got?" he asked as he handed Castle the file.

Castle took the file and search through the photos until he found the one he was looking for. "Here we go." He took a picture of the kitchen. "We know that Sara stopped by the bodega on her way home the night she was murdered. Now look at this photo. See the bag on the kitchen table?" He pointed to the photo. "It's from Tidewater Bodega. And Cole's financials show a charge hours before her murder at Tidewater Bodega. All three women made purchases at Tidewater Bodega the night of their murders," Castle said. "The bodega is the connection between the victims." Esposito and Ryan looked at each other and then back at Castle.

Ryan said, "We need to talk to the owner of the bodega to see if he had any other video cameras and to collect the tapes for the nights of the other murders."

"Esposito, Ryan, have you found anything yet?" said Gates.

"Captain, we think our suspect frequented a local bodega. All three women stopped by the bodega the nights of their murders. We're getting more video from the store to see if we can identify the suspect," Esposito said.

"Good. Make arrangements to have officers staking out the bodega and have cruises drive by every half hour," Gates added. "Keep me apprised." She turned to go, but stopped. "Mr. Castle, can I see you in my office?" She didn't wait for a response and continued to her office. Castle looked over at Ryan and Esposito, shrugging his shoulders.

She opened the door to her office and closed it after Castle had entered. She pointed to a seat. Castle sat down and waited. Gates took a seat behind her desk and opened a file. She looked through it and then closed the file and placed it in the top drawer of her desk. She laced her fingers together and placed her hands over her desk. "Mr. Castle, tell me about the night Captain Montgomery was killed?" she said calmly.

Notes: Nice comments are always appreciated.

I should have another chapter up before the end of the week.


	5. Chapter 5

It's About My Future-Chapter 5

Castle was shocked by Captain Gate's question but tried not to give anything away. "Excuse me?" Castle said.

She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head sideways, "Mr. Castle." Captain Gates waited.

"I…huh…I received a call from the Captain that day. He said that he had a lead on Hal Lockwood. He told me to meet him at the hanger where we had found the helicopter Lockwood had stolen to escape custody. I arrived as Detective Beckett was getting out of her car. She and I entered the hanger and found the Captain on the ground, shot twice. We found Hal Lockwood and three other men…all dead. It looked like Captain Montgomery was able to take out Lockwood and his men before he died. Detective Beckett called it in."

"And when you arrived he was already dead?" she asked.

"Yes, Sir," he responded. "Captain Gates, may I asked what this is about?"

"Mr. Castle would it interest you to know that I have a report that states that you have been…how shall I say this? You have been poking around Captain Montgomery's murder and Detective Beckett's shooting," she said.

Castle feigned innocence, "I don't know what you're talking about." He gave her a reassuring smile.

She folded her fingers in front of her face. "Mr. Castle, let me remind you that you are still a guest at my precinct. You are not a trained investigator," she paused for a moment, her tone soften as she sat back in her seat. "I understand your desire to protect Agent Beckett, but these people are not to be trifled with." She paused again, and hardened this time. "I expect you to turn over any information you have regarding either case to me immediately. Do you understand?" she stared at him for a long moment to make her point.

"I understand Captain," he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Castle. That will be all," she said taking a file from her desk and opening it. "For now," she added as Castle rised to leave. As he walked back to the conference room, he paused and looked back in the direction of Gate's office. She looked up at him and their eyes met for a moment before she turned back to her work. If he didn't know any better he would swear she was concerned for his safety.

"Yo, Castle, what was that all about?" asked Esposito.

"Yeah, you look like you've just seen a ghost," Ryan said softly.

"She asked me about the night of Montgomery's murder," Castle whispered.

Esposito rose quickly to close the door. "What did you tell her?"

"Nothing…I told her that we arrived on the scene after the shootout. What do you think this means?" Castle asked.

"She cut her teeth at Internal Affairs. She must suspect something," Ryan said. "We all have to stick to our story. You better go home and call Beckett. Give her a heads up."

"Ryan and I are going to set up around the clock surveillance of the bodega, like Captain Gates said. Meet us at there in an hour," Esposito said.

-Break-

Castle entered the loft and found the lights on in his office. How many times did he have to tell Alexis' new boyfriend not to use his office. As Castle entered the room he was surprised to find Kate sitting at his desk typing on his computer. "Hey, beautiful," he said, surprising her.

"Oh, Castle. Hi," she said. She rose from her seat to meet him in the middle of the room. "I would have called but I wanted to surprise you," she smiled up at him, wrapping her arms around his waist as his arms enveloped her. He held her tightly and exhaled, releasing all of his stress and tension. Kate smiled to herself. She loved the fact that her hugs could relax him so thoroughly. "Better?" He signed and nodded against her neck. Wrapped in his arms was where she belonged, wanted, needed and loved.

After a few minutes holding each other, Kate took Castle's hand and led him to the black leather chairs in his office. She told him about Grady's case. Grady's notebook was a log of his meetings and conversations. Grady had met with Captain Wells in building two miles from the Pentagon at noon a week before his death. Wells had invited Grady to lunch. The men went to a local restaurant and Grady's notes stated that Wells insisted on sitting with his back to the wall which was consistent with someone who worked in the intelligence community. Grady's assignment was to take pictures of people Congressman William Baines met with during his trip to Phoenix. The main purpose of Baines' trip was to stop Councilman Vargas from running against an incumbent Republican Congressman in his district. However, Army Intelligence had reason to believe that Baines may also be meeting with foreign interest during the International Journalism Association convention being held in Phoenix. Army Intelligence suspected the Association had been infiltrated by special interest from abroad. Grady's notes stated that the reason for the surveillance was because Congressman Baines was suspected of giving aide to wealthy Middle Eastern interests. Wells told Grady that cash deposits into Congressman Baines bank accounts were traced to bills used in an operation conducted by the NYPD's Counter Terrorism Unit against a non-profit, middle eastern charity with offices on Madison Avenue. Army Intelligence couldn't investigate a sitting Congressman so they had to contract out to men like Grady who could work off the books allowing Army Intelligence plausible deniability. "Just like Derrick Storm," Castle said. Kate told him that she had flown to New York to talk to the detectives on the NYPD Counter Terrorism Unit about the operation. The meeting was scheduled for 9:00 am and her flight out was at noon. McAdams had stayed in DC to interview Wells' family.

"So, you haven't found any connection to Bracken yet," Castle said.

"No. Not yet. We have only just scraped the surface of this case. The two cases may not be connected. But I can't shake the feeling that there's something in this case that will lead us to evidence against Bracken."

"Well since we're on the subject, I came home to call you to talk to you about the case," Castle said. Kate looked at him curiously. "Captain Gates pulled me into her office this afternoon and asked me what I knew about Montgomery's death."

Kate took in the gravity of his comment. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked up at him. "She knows something, Castle." She stood up pacing the room. "Well, it was just a matter of time before she put things together. After Marx's death, she told me that she didn't intend to tarnish Captain Montgomery's memory."

"You never told me that," Castle said.

Kate sat back down. "I know. I'm sorry. I should have said something but I didn't want to worry you."

Castle leaned forward in his seat wringing his hands. He had never told her about his investigation into her shooting. He had tried very hard to keep it as quiet as possible. Kate and Bracken had arrived at a compromise but that did not mean he couldn't use his resources to collect information against Bracken or to work against him. "Kate, there is something I have to tell you, but I'm not sure how." He looked at her intently. Her face grew more concerned. "I love you, and you know that don't you?" She nodded her head. "And you must know that what I have done was done out of that love and not meant as a betrayal?"

"Castle, out with it. Now! What have you done?" Kate said, exasperated by the build up.

"Okay, but I just want to make sure that you understand that I love you," he said, causing her to become more agitated.

"Yes, you love me and I love you. I got it. Now go."

"Okay. After you were shot, I started a murder board on my own. And I used my connections to investigate your shooting and your mother's murders behind your back. I called people that I knew like my mob friends Sal Tenor and Vincent Cardano; FBI connections like Jordan and Agent Harris; my CIA contacts, Agent Gray and Agent Danberg; Brian Shay and Mayor Weldon and asked them to call me if they came across any information regarding certain people like Bob Armen, Joe Pulgatti, Detective Raglan, Detective McCalister, Hal Lockwood, Cedric Marx and," he paused. "Your mother. I later added Senator Bracken to the list. I was very subtle about my inquiries but somehow Captain Gates found out. She told me to turn over any information I may have and, to my surprise, she told me to be careful." They were sitting across from each other. Kate shook her head at him. He felt his stomach sink.

"I should have known you would do something like this," she said, barely a whisper. She leaned back into her seat and looked up at the ceiling. "You just can't help yourself, can you?" It was a statement more than a question. "You just have to know the whole story, don't you? Just like Sophia said, you just don't stop."

"Kate," he pleaded. "I tried to stop. I even deleted the file that first night you came to my apartment after Orlando Costas was murdered. But Bracken is still out there and he's already tried to kill you once. I just couldn't stand by and let him take another shot. I've got resources in play to block his political aspirations for higher office. There are other ways to stop him…or at least weaken him."

"Castle, shut up." Kate rose from her seat and stood in front of him. He looked up at her, fear in his eyes. Kate gave him a little grin and pushed him back as she sat in his lap and placed her arms around his neck. He immediately put his arms on her hips.

"You're not mad at me?" he asked sheepishly.

"Oh, I'm mad but I'm not surprised." She kissed him and calmly said, "This is who you are, but I thought after our argument in my apartment that day that you would be smart enough not to keep secrets from me." She kissed him again, "but who am I to talk," she said, a twinkle in her eyes.

He buried his face in her hair, "Oh…I just aged twenty years." Once he was sure she wasn't going to shoot him, he pulled away and said, "Thank you for understanding."

"Castle, we are all in this together. Now get up," she rose from his lap taking his hands and pulling him up. She led him to his desk and pushed him into his desk chair. "Show me what you have?"

Castle pressed a few keys on his computer and the large monitor behind Kate lit up with his virtual murder board. In the center of the monitor was a picture of Kate and all around her there were pictures of other individuals connected to her shooting and her mother's murder. He had notes by every picture and drop boxes that led to more notes. "Honestly, Kate. If I had come across any usable information I would have shared it with you. Mostly, I have the same questions that we have had all along. That's why this past year I have concentrated most of my efforts on trying to thwart Bracken's political aspirations. Do you remember Brian Shay?" he asked her. He was Mayor Weldon's chief of staff. "He and Weldon have been advising me on how best to use my influence and wealth to weaken Bracken's political powers. I've been contributing funds to his political enemies and lobbying against political initiatives Bracken supports. Remember his environmental initiative?" Kate nodded. A wicked smile came over Castles faces, "Well, Brian, Bob Weldon and I came up with a more powerful environmental initiative that made Bracken's look like a bill to reward so called clean energy companies."

"You mean you're behind the Vice President's Sustainability Today Environmental Bill?" Kate asked.

Castle beamed with pride, "Well, Alexis has been bugging me to become more involved in sustainability measures and environmental issues. I took her and some friends out to dinner one night when you were busy and they filled me in on some very important pieces of legislations that taken together would make a meaningful difference. Bob and Brian took our ideas put them into a package and talked to a few key members of the Vice President's staff and, bam said the lady, Bracken's bill was tossed out as a veiled effort to support "corporate environmental interest" at the expense of real environmental change."

"He lost a lot of credibility after that," Kate said.

"You can thank Alexis the next time you see her. She gave me the idea after I turned her into a smurf," Castle said. Kate laughed, remembering Alexis' humiliation at her father's hands after he had caught her in his blue spray trap, stealing leftovers from the refrigerator. She turned back to the murder board and became serious once again.

"If Gate's dredges up Captain Montgomery's murder it may result in his family finding out the truth about his involvement in Bob Armen's death and they may lose his pension," Kate said. "Maybe, I should talk to her."

"Do you think that's wise?" asked Castle crinkling his eyebrows.

"I don't work for NYPD anymore," Kate said. "I just need to keep Esposito and Ryan out of it."

"Kate, she saw you questioning McManus. She heard you tell him that you were trying to take down Bracken. Gates heard you tell McManus that Bracken killed your mother."

"I know Castle. That's why I need to talk to her. She has probably put the pieces together by now. I hate to drag her into this but if she pokes around Bracken, she may put us all in danger."

They heard keys in the lock at the front door. Castle stood up and walked to the living room. Alexis and Martha swept into the loft. "Darling, your home," Martha said exuberantly. Kate poked her head in the doorway. "And Katherine. Wonderful!"

The women exchanged hugs and kisses. "How long are you here for?" asked Alexis.

"Only one night," said Kate. "I have to return to DC tomorrow."

"Marvelous, we can all have dinner together…unless you two have other plans?" asked Martha.

"I don't know if I'll be back for dinner mother," said Castle. "I promised the boys I would meet them at the Tidewater Bodega. We're still working on finding the serial killer," Castle looked apologetically at the women.

"You still have to eat," said Martha.

"I am sure we can make it back before dinner, Martha," said Kate.

"We?" asked Castle.

"I'm coming with you. I want to see the boys and maybe I can help out on the case."

"Oh Kate, you have to come back to meet my friend," Alexis said. Castle rolled his eyes.

Kate smiled as she pushed Castle toward the front door. She turned to Alexis on her way out and said, "I would love to meet him, Alexis."

"Well that seals it then," Martha said, clapping her hands together. "Alexis and I will get started on dinner and we'll see you in a couple of hours," said Martha, waving her bejeweled hand as she closed the door behind them.

-Break-

Castle and Beckett rode to the Tidewater Bodega on the West Side of Manhattan in a yellow cab. Ryan and Esposito's red Dodge Charger was parked in front of the bodega and the men were standing in front of the market talking to a couple of uniform officers. Castle greeted them. The boys turned to see Kate exit the taxi. Ryan and Esposito walked over to Kate and each gave her a hug. "Looking good, Chica," said Esposito.

"Good to see you Beckett," said Ryan. Kate smiled. She hadn't seen the boys for several weeks and missed them. "How's the AG's Task Force?"

"It's picking up. In fact, I've got something to tell you but let's get on with this case first. Castle already brought me up to speed. Any cameras out here?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah. We just sent a couple of uniforms to collect the tapes from the phone store next door and the jewelry store across the street. The bodega and the nail salon next it don't have exterior cameras," Ryan said, pointing to the businesses.

"I think I saw a bank machine around the corner as we pulled up. If the killer followed Sara Mendez from the bodega to her apartment, he would have walked by the bank machine. You should get the videos tapes from the bank. It'll help you narrow down the suspects," she said.

"Look at you, sounding like our boss," Ryan teased.

"Just like old times, right?" Esposito said, fist pumping Ryan and Castle. She smirked at him and rolled her eyes but she couldn't mask her happiness in being reunited with her team even if it was only for a few hours.

"Ah, yes. You can take the girl out of the detective but you cannot take the detective out of the girl," Castle said. The boys chuckled.

"Very funny guys," Beckett said. "What do you have on the clerk?"

"Her name is Lacey Swartz. She works from 4:00 pm to midnight. According to her boss, she was working all three nights of the murders," Ryan said.

"We were about to talk to her. Would you care to join us?" said Esposito.

Kate walked ahead of them into the bodega. Ryan caught up to her and approached the clerk. He said, "Ms. Swartz, I'm Detective Ryan. This is Detective Esposito, Mr. Castle and Agent Beckett." The woman shook all of their hands. "Your boss told us that you were working here the nights of the murders, is that correct?" he asked.

Lacey Swartz was a tall, blue eyed, blond woman in her mid-fifties. She looked like her best days were behind her and had given up on her appearance. "Yeah, I was here those nights. I work most nights since my divorce."

Esposito asked, "Do you remember this woman?" He showed her a picture of Sara Mendez.

Lacey Swartz nodded her head, "Yes. She was here. I think she bought a six pack of beer last night. I think she said something about having a bad day."

Esposito showed her a picture of Lisa Cole, "How about this woman? She would have been here two nights ago."

Swartz took the picture and studied it closely, "Yeah. She was in here too."

"Do you remember anything specific about her?" Beckett asked.

"Not really. I see a lot of people, you know."

"Do you remember if she spoke to anyone or if anyone was following her?" Beckett prodded.

"I don't think so."

"How about this woman? Do you recognize her?" Ryan took the picture of Angela Steward from Esposito and showed it to Swartz.

"Yeah, she looks familiar too," she said. Swartz looked back at the picture as if remembering something, "Now that I think about it, I remember a homeless guy hanging around a couple of nights ago and he asked her for money on her way out. I remember because he's been hanging around the market the last couple of weeks. My boss told me to give him a couple of bucks out of the register and tell him to move on if I saw him. Now, he comes around every night for his payment. I was standing outside handing him a couple of bucks the night she came in." The clerk pointed to the picture of Angela Steward. "If you wait around, I'm sure he will be by here tonight."

"Can you describe him?" Beckett asked.

"He's black. Looks like he's in his 50s but it's hard to tell with the homeless. He could be younger. He's about 6 feet tall, thin and has a New York Jets tattoo on the left side of his neck." Swartz said.

"Do you know his name?" asked Castle.

"No, but his nickname is Jet because of the tattoo."

"Did he talk to any of the women in the pictures?" asked Castle.

"I think he asked her for money," she pointed at Lisa Cole's photo. A customer in the bodega approached the counter with a basket full of items. "I need to get back to work," Swartz said.

"Thank you Ms. Swartz. You be sure to call us if this man shows up again. There will be a squad car watching the bodega until we catch this guy," Esposito gave her his card. The clerk took it and moved back behind the counter to ring up the waiting customer.

"I guess you should check out the homeless man but my gut tells me it's not going to be him," said Beckett.

"It's too easy," Castle said.

"I'll call Ellis and have her check the data base and see if the tattoo and nickname are in the system," Esposito said as the four of them walked out onto the street.

"I'll have uniforms canvas the area for our homeless guy," said Ryan.

As they approached Ryan and Esposito's vehicle, Ryan asked, "So, Castle, did you tell her about Gates?"

Beckett said, "He did and we need to talk, but not out here. How about the Old Haunt? Meet us after you're done with your calls." Beckett said. She turned to Castle and said, "We can meet in your office and talk about Gates and Bracken in private."

-Break-

Note: Kind works are always appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

It's About My Future-Chapter 6

Esposito smirked, "You…" He pointed at Castle, "Were discrete? That's hard to believe bro." Esposito smiled at the others. They sat in Castle's office in the basement of the Old Haunt.

"Is that so Detective Esposito? Watch and learn," said Castle. He turned to Ryan who was sitting across from him. Castle held out his hand to shake and smiled, "Agent Harris, thank you for meeting with me." Ryan took Castle's hand and shook it. "I wanted to thank you in person for all your help on my daughter's kidnapping case. I am so grateful for what you and the FBI did."

Ryan smiled and played along, "Just doing my job, Mr. Castle."

"As you know I have a very good relationship with the NYPD. They have helped me a great deal with my Nikki Heat novels. However, it is somewhat limiting. I would love to get an FBI agent's perspective for my next Nikki Heat novel. I was wondering if I could talk to you to get some ideas I've had based on some old cases and rumors I've heard." He leaned in a little closer to Ryan, and continued, "I don't know if this story is true but I heard that a number of years ago, probably before your time, mobsters in the New York area were being kidnapped and held for ransom. I have created a story line in my novel where the same thing happens. But how would that work? The mob wouldn't go to the FBI for help with a kidnapping, would they?" Castle stopped and the three law enforcement professionals were leaning toward him, drawn into the conversation. Castle smiled at them and they leaned back, impressed.

"You would be surprised how many people talk to me about their experiences for my novels. Agent Harris, didn't know anything about the kidnaping cases when I first talk to him but a month later he called and told me that the story was true. The FBI had heard about the kidnappings but the mobsters were investigating the kidnappings themselves. He told me that the FBI Organized Crime Unit would know more because of their wiretaps. He did say that Joe Pulgatti had blamed the murder of an undercover FBI agent on the kidnappers but he later confessed to killing the agent. I've been trying to get a meeting with Special Agent Walker from the FBI's Organized Crime Unit but he's been too busy to see me."

"How did you get Vincent Cardano to talk to you?" asked Kate.

"I bumped into Vinny at the Hampton's Inn. He apologized for walking out on our dinner. To make it up to me he invited me and his cousin, Sal, to Saratoga Springs for a day of horse racing and dining. I asked them about the kidnappings and Joe Pulgatti. The mob believed that law enforcement was shielding the kidnappers but they didn't know who they were shielding. They confirmed that there was a truce between the families because of the kidnappings. However, they couldn't get close to whoever was kidnapping their associates. Then, the kidnappings suddenly stopped and the Sicilians moved on to other, more pressing matters like feuding amongst themselves. Joe Pulgatti was a member of a rival family. They knew that Joe claimed that cops killed Bobby Armen but they think that Joe killed him because he found out he was a cop. It has served him well in prison to be the guy who took out an FBI agent. Pulgatti has played both the victim and the murderer."

"Why would you talk to Agents Gray and Danberg?" asked Beckett.

"Well, Marx, Lockwood and Coonan were all former military. The things they did...they obviously had knowledge of spy craft. So, I asked Agents Gray and Danberg to let me know if they knew anything about them and the way those types of men might get work off the books. I tied them to my Derrick Storm novels. Danberg told me that Hal Lockwood was a former Navy Seal. He worked for Army Intelligence a couple of years after leaving the Seals. Danberg had heard that Lockwood was working for Halliburton in Iraq eight years ago but that he had started freelancing for both Halliburton and Arantas Solutions. Gray told me that Marx had also worked for Army Intelligence and when he got out, he went to work for Arantas Solutions. Arantas Solutions had a contract with the US Army stationed in Pakistan to interrogate Afghans turned over by the Pakistani Army. Arantas Solutions was blamed with allowing two Afghanis to escape but the CIA suspected that Arantas Solutions was paid a large sum of money to let the two Afghanis go. They were related to a very rich Saudi family. He said that these kinds of things happen all the time with private contractors. Arantas Solutions broke up but Gray said that guys like Marx move from crew to crew and work for the highest bidders."

"Nice job, Castle," Kate said. His investigation was subtle and incremental. Every piece when put together with all the other little pieces of information weaved a complete story. Kate made a note to review everything he had on Arantas Solutions before her meeting with the NY Counter Terrorism Unit.

She had always seen her shooting and her mother's murder from her own narrow perspective but as Castle told them about all the casual conversations he had with people they had encountered throughout the years, she could see the bigger picture. His system wasn't foolproof but it would ring fewer alarms than an investigation conducted by law enforcement. How would Bracken distinguish between Castle the novelist and Castle the investigator?

When she had confronted Bracken, she had bluffed, letting him think she had the file with all the evidence incriminating him in kidnappings and murders. He had agreed not to hurt her or her friends if she agreed not to release the file. It was the same agreement Mr. Smith had made, but just like Mr. Smith, it was only a matter of time before Bracken would break the agreement. In the meantime, they would have to collect actual evidence against him if they wanted to stop him before his next attack.

Kate paced around the room as they listened to Castle tell them that he had run into Former Assistant District Attorney Lou Karnacki at a charity event. He thought of approaching Karnacki like he had done with the others since he had been at the DA's office at the same time as Bracken, and he had been a friend of Captain Montgomery's. "No, Castle. Karnacki is too close. He has the potential to be a great resource but he can't be trusted," she said. "But…maybe you should talk to Fariq Yussef…and your friend, Gaston? Between the two of them you could give us a more worldly view of how clandestine operations work. Do any of you get the feeling that Arantas Solutions may have gone underground? Maybe talking to those two men under the guise of plotting your next Derrick Storm novel could give us clues into Arantas Solution movements since their breakup?"

"That's a great idea. He would make a great character for my next Derrick Storm novel…" He mused, engrossed in thoughts of his next plot. Beckett rolled her eyes at him. Noticing her disapproval, he said sheepishly, "And, as you said, he could give us a more worldly view into clandestine black ops organizations."

Esposito shook his head at Castle and turned to Beckett, "If you still think your case is connected to Bracken, I can follow up with my military contacts on Captain Wells? See if anything pops?" he offered.

"Thanks Javi," she said, grateful that her boys would still work with her after she abandon them. "We need to keep our eyes and ears open. We have to build a case against Bracken before he decides to break the truce," Kate said. They were getting close to something, she could feel it but what exactly, she was not sure. Esposito and Ryan were professionals and could take care of themselves and Castle had shown himself to be very capable but she couldn't help but worry. But she was here now, with her team and it felt good. She would need to make the most out of this trip so that she could rest more easily when she got back to DC.

"Those checks we traced to Bracken, that were deposited in the bank...we know that Bracken burned the building down to destroy the records. What we need to find out is how he could convince Chief Halstead the fire was caused by faulty wiring," Ryan said.

"We need to talk to someone at NYFD about arsonists with MOs that match that fire," Castle said. Kate smiled at him. He had grown so much as an investigator over the years. "How about your old boyfriend, the firefighter Lanie set you up with, Mr. July?"

Yet in many ways he was still a nine year old on a sugar rush. Well two could play that game thought Beckett. "Oh, you mean the hunky Brad Dekker," she teased. Castle was no longer amused.

"Jenny's uncle is a retired fire department investigator. He lives in Florida but he's in New York until the fall. Two of her cousins are active firefighters. I could talk to them about arsonist with the same MO," said Ryan.

"Can they be trusted?" asked Castle.

Ryan smiled, "We're an Irish-American Catholic family. If I can't trust them, I can't trust anybody."

"Enough said," Castle patted Ryan's shoulder.

"I'll be discrete, Shifu," Ryan said, hands held together as in prayer as he bowed down to Castle.

"Nice," Castle said and bowed back.

"Guys, we have to get concrete evidence we can use to build an air tight case against Bracken. He has left a trail of bodies to get where he is today and as his star rises he is going to get more and more nervous about loose ends like us. Castle has been using his money and influence to thwart his plans for more political power but there is only so much one crazy, rich guy can do," she smiles at her fiancé. "It's only a matter of time before he comes after us. When he does we need to be ready. And guys," Kate paused for a moment before she said her next words. "When we do, we will have exposed Roy's role in the kidnappings and cover up. When that happens, Evelyn and the kids will lose Roy's pension."

"Don't worry about the pension," Castle said. "I've got that covered," he reassured them. "But this will destroy them."

They all paused, lost in thoughts of betrayal, love, respect and sadness for their former skipper. Finally, Castle whispered, "They will need us to tell them the whole story." Then, Castle stood up and held his bottle of beer in front of him, "To Roy." The others all stood up in a circle, bottles of beer pointing to the center, "He was our leader and despite his faults, he made the ultimate sacrifice to protect us."

"To Roy," the others all chorused, and clanked their bottles.

They all sat back down. After a moment, Beckett said, "Now what can I do to help you guys with your serial case?" she smiled at her boys.

"The homeless man is our best lead right now," said Castle. "But I don't buy him as our killer."

"Walk me through the crime scene," Beckett said.

"Alright, he comes into the apartment and waits until his target has settled down. Maybe she's reading a book or watching TV or eating her dinner. The killer sneaks up and injects her with the sedative. She reacts but he points a weapon at her and she stays put until the sedative takes effect," Castle said.

"According to Lanie, the sedative makes the women highly suggestive," added Esposito.

"So the killer takes her to her bedroom and tells her she needs to take a bath. She follows his instructions because he's got a weapon and the drug makes her compliant. She takes her own clothes off and heads for the bathroom. She turns the water on and climbs in the tub. He waits as the water runs into the bathtub and covers her body. Once the water reaches a certain level, he holds her under the water. She struggles but is weak because of the sedative. It only takes minutes for her to drown," Castle said as he walked around the room mapping out the scene.

"The killer leaves the water running so that the water pores over the bathtub, washing away any trace DNA," Ryan said.

"The killer has not changed his MO since the murders began," Beckett said, building a profile. "He is not escalating. Therefore, the act is what he gets off on."

"The murders are not flashy and he hasn't reached out to the media or law enforcement," Esposito said.

"So, he is not looking for notoriety. The murders are always the same, so he is reliving an experience over and over again. It's personal," Beckett added.

Castle turned to her and said, "He's probably re-writing the story. Maybe, he had an experience with a woman who recently rejected him."

"That's probably his trigger," said Ryan.

"It's extremely unlikely to be the homeless man," Beckett said. "But you should still follow up on him. If he's been hanging out in the area maybe he has noticed our guy."

Esposito said, "We know that he has to have a medical background because of the use of the syringe and the sedative."

"Maybe Jordan's profile will give us an age, race and possible description to go on," said Castle. "I'll email the latest information."

"We've got a squad car parked in front of the bodega," Esposito said. "If the bodega is the connection, maybe the squad car will prevent another murder."

"And Unis are canvassing the area for the homeless man," said Ryan. "Ellis should already have the video from the other nights. We should get back to the precinct to help her," Ryan rose from his seat and put his beer down. Esposito and Castle rose to join him.

"Hold on turbo," Kate said to Castle, holding her hands out. He took her hands and pulled her up into his arms. "We've got a dinner date with your family." Castle rolled his eyes.

"What's that for?" asked Esposito.

"Castle hates Alexis' new boyfriend, Pi, and will do anything to avoid spending any time with him," Beckett said teasingly.

"Oh, yeah…We heard about him," said Ryan. "We'll be working the case all night, if you need an excuse to cut the dinner short."

"We'll meet you there as soon as we can get away," Beckett said, glad to be working with her team again. Castle pouted as they left the pub.

-Break-

Martha's eyes lit up with excitement. Alexis looked mortified and just shook her head from side to side. Kate's face reddened, "YOU LITTLE…" Castle grabbed her wrist and pulled her up from her seat at the dinner table.

"Oh, look at that, time to go, Kate. Mother, Alexis, dinner was wonderful but we have to run, don't we Kate? We have a serial killer to catch." Castle dragged Kate to the front door, picking up his keys from the dish on the table near the stairs on their way out.

"HOW DARE YOU…" Kate turned back toward the dining room but Castle caught her and dragged her out the door.

He paused and popped his head back through the doorway, "Alexis, I trust you and your little friend will make yourselves scarce when we get back from the precinct?"

"Yes, Dad," Alexis told her father as she glared at her new boyfriend.

"Don't worry about me, Darling," Martha said as she reached for the bottle of Chardonnay on the dinner table. "I plan on going to bed early, after enjoying another glass of this wonderful 2010 Antonin Guyon Corton-Charlemagne," announced Martha.

Castle had never seen Kate so mad. She looked like she could tear the kid's head off with her bare hands. As Castle drove to the precinct, he joked, "Well, that wasn't so bad." He smiled at Kate.

"Castle, are you kidding me right now?" Kate huffed. "One more minute and I would have introduced him to my foot as I squashed him like a bug." Kate crossed her arms and turned her back to Castle. "I have always called you Castle. What does that little pipsqueak know about me…about us?" Before Castle could answer, she said, "What is he, all of 15 years old?"

Castle said, "He made a fair point, you do call me Castle instead of Rick."

"CASTLE!" she yelled. "If you don't stop defending him I'm going to start calling you DICK from now on!"

"Whoa, whoa," Castle said. "What did I do?"

"You let him stay at your place…our place…" she paused for a second and looked at him as if she needed validation.

"Of course it's our place. Kate, we're engaged. We're getting married as soon as you pick a date. And we love each other. He has no idea what we've been through to get here. Don't tell me that what that know-it-all kid said is really causing you to question our relationship?" he sought out her eyes for reassurance. She met them and slowly relaxed her posture.

"What does Alexis see in that guy anyway?" she asked.

"Don't ask me," he responded. Then, he added, "They're opposites like me and you. She's practical, rational and intelligent, and he's more of a free spirit like me."

"Don't you dare compare yourself to that little weasel! You're a creative, intelligent, charming, sexy, grown ass man, and he is just a little, pseudo-intellectual, hippy reject," she puffed out.

Castle's eyes softened at the compliment. At that moment he looked more like a sweet little boy than a grown man. Kate smiled back at him and reached her hand out to caress his jaw, lacing her fingers between his.

The evening had started well enough. Alexis introduced Kate to Pi. He regaled them with stories about his trek through Brazil to visit the Yanamamo people of the Amazon rainforest and his experiences meeting Maasai warriors in Kenya. During the main course, he told them that he was torn between picking a major in Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy and Anthropology. By time they reached desert, he was done talking about himself and started asking them questions.

"So, let me get this straight. Rick asked you to marry him. You said yes. A week later you moved to DC for a job. And he lives here while you live there?" he asked.

"Yes. Castle needs to be here to work on his book," Kate smiled at Castle and took his hand under the table.

"You're engaged but you still call him Castle, not Rick or Richard?" he asked again.

"I've always called him Castle. It would be strange not to," Kate explained, as she smiled up at Castle.

"But he calls you Kate," Pi said.

"Yes," she said slowly, wondering what he was insinuating.

"My psychology professor would say that you are having trouble committing to this relationship," said Pi.

"What?" Kate exclaimed.

"You want Rick to commit to you but you're still not ready to commit to him. Calling him by his surname instead of his given name or a pet name is a way to avoid intimacy. Accepting his proposal of marriage but moving away from him is another way of avoid intimacy. You haven't given up your apartment here in New York, and you live alone most of the time in DC. You were working as partners, but you broke your partnership to pursue your own ambitions. Despite the fact that he can clearly provide for the two of you, you insist on keeping your independence. So, you still have one foot out the door. Do you have a fear of intimacy, Kate?" asked Pi.

And that's when all hell broke loose. This kid had been able to get under her skin. Buy why? Because it was true? It was all true and she knew it. She was afraid of intimacy. There was no question she loved Castle and wanted him to be completely and totally committed to her. But she had accepted this job. She hadn't sold her apartment, yet, and she still called him Castle. "You know that your last name is like a pet name to me?" she said.

"I know." He squeezed her hand.

"Does it bother you that I still call you Castle?" she asked.

"I haven't thought about it," he said. "You do call me Rick when you want to get my attention. It makes it kind of special."

"Do you think I have one foot out the door?"

"I know you love me. You said yes instead of running away when I proposed. I know I want this relationship to work, and I am willing to help you work out any reservations you may have."

"So, you think I have reservations?" she asked.

"Yes," he said simply. "But I am confident you will work them out before the wedding," he took their joined hands and raised the back of her had to his lips for a soft kiss.

She smiled at him as he parked the car. She joined him on the side walk and pulled him into an embrace and whispered in his ear, "You are perfect, Rick." She leaned into him and kissed him passionately on the front steps of the Twelfth Precinct. He crushed her body against his enjoying the feel of her slender figure. A uniformed officer cleared her throat as she passed them on her way into the precinct. They slowly parted and he took her hand as they walked into the Twelfth Precinct together.

Note: kind words are appreciated. This is harder than it looks.


	7. Chapter 7

It's About My Future Chapter 7

Castle and Beckett walked into the precinct hand-in-hand for the first time since they started dating. As they reach the elevator, Beckett's phone rang. "It's McCord. I have to take it," she said to Castle. He points to the elevator indicating he would meet her upstairs.

"Beckett," she said into the phone.

"Hey," said McAdams.

"What did you find," Beckett asked.

"As we expected, the parents, Steve and Lucy Wells, were heartbroken by his death, but I could tell that they never really understood their son. His father is a retired graphic artist and his mother is a homemaker who likes to crochet, knit, macramé and needle point. I've never seen so many doilies in my life. Their place reminded me of my grandmother's apartment, a doily under every lamp and knickknack." Beckett smiled as she realized that this was the first time that McAdams had shared anything about her personal life. "The parents seem to be very different from their universal soldier son," McAdams continued.

Beckett knew that Wells' military record was full of commendations. After graduating from Emory University, Wells was recruited to serve at the prestigious 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Benning, Georgia. His General Technical Score was average for the 75th. However, he quickly ascended the ranks and became a Captain serving with the US Army Special Operations Command until his death two years earlier. "Wells' parents said that they had not heard from him in the year before his death. They explained that he was involved in classified missions and was unable to visit. I asked them about school, friends, girlfriends, hobbies, frequent haunts, sports, recreation, etc. His mother said that when he was in elementary school he became very good friends with a boy in his class named Robert Hines whose father was a Ranger…a Captain Jeffery Hines. Robert was Reese's best friend through high school. Reese's parents never met any other friends of any consequence," McAdams said. Beckett recognized that name, Jeffery Hines, as one of the names of the founders of Arantas Solutions. She finally had a connection between Bracken and her current case.

"Robert and Jeffery Hines played a large part in shaping Reese's future. He had become fascinated with shooting pistols and the military in general. They said he became so proficient with pistols that he had competed at the NRA Bianchi Cup before joining the military. After he graduated from college, Reese volunteered with the 75th Regimen and stopped visiting his parents on a regular basis. I asked them if they knew if he kept in touch with anybody. His father said that he had enlisted with the 75th because Jeffery Hines was serving there. He never introduced his parents to any of his college or military friends or girlfriends. The only thing that father and son had in common was a love for soccer. Reese had played in high school and college. In fact, the last time his father spent any quality time with him was at a MLS DC United game in 2010. His father said his favorite teams were DC United, Manchester U, Real Madrid and Juventus. His parents let me look through his room. It was covered with Guns and Amo centerfolds and Soccer posters. He had no personal photos other than at soccer games or gun matches. He had no other hobbies that I could see. I pulled his mother aside to see if she could give me any further insight into her son. She thought that his obsession with the military came from a belief that his father was weak. His father had been mugged and pistol whipped in front of his wife and son when Reese was only 7 years old. Steve Wells didn't fight back for fear that something bad might happen to his family but Reese never forgave him for not standing up to the punks who robbed and beat him. Reese confided in his mother that he would never be weak like his father."

McAdams said, "I checked into Captain Jeffery Hines. He had also served with the 75th Ranger Regiment and had retired from the military in 2009 to set up his own security company called Arantas Solutions. The company broke up after a scandal erupted over the escape of two Afghani prisoners in 2010. Rumor was that Arantas Solutions…"

"Had taken a large payoff from Saudi interests to release the two Afghanis," Beckett finished.

"So, you've heard of them before this?" McAdams asked.

"Yeah. They came up in a murder I worked in New York," Beckett told her partner.

"Well, I'll work up a profile of places we should canvas for Wells based on the information I got from his parents." McAdams had worked in the fugitive unit at the US Marshall's Office and was very adept at finding people. Their supervisor at the AG's Task Force, Rachel McCord, had told Beckett when she had been assigned to McAdams that McAdams had earned the nickname of "Hound Dog" at the US Marshall's Office due to her extraordinary hunting skills.

"Let's arrange a meeting with Jeffery Hines when I get back to DC. I'm very curious about his activities since the break-up of Arantas Solutions and his connection to Captain Reese Wells," Beckett said.

"Call me after your meeting with the NYPD Counter-Terrorism Unit tomorrow and we'll go over our notes," McAdams said. And with that she ended the call. Beckett could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins but she didn't want to get ahead of herself. Jeffery Hines was behind Arantas Solutions and was her connection between Cedric Marx and Reese Wells. Beckett was sure now that Arantas Solutions had gone underground and was working off the books. If Arantas Solutions was as sophisticated and ruthless as she thought they would be hard to expose. She would have to fill in the boys on the connection.

Beckett took a moment to calm her nerves before she rode the elevator up to the homicide floor. When the elevator doors open Beckett felt a flutter in her stomach. The squad room was both familiar and unfamiliar to her. It had been weeks since she had stepped into her old home. Castle was sitting in his chair at her desk watching Esposito write on the murder board. She strode over to take a seat at her old desk but something was wrong. Gone were her elephant figurines and her name plate. Instead the name plate read, Detective Tori Ellis, and the desk was covered with a matching leather desk set including desk pad, pencil cup, letter tray, card holder and letter opener. A feeling of loss washed over her as she came to a stop beside Castle. He looked up at her and realized instantly what she was feeling. He stood up and directed her over to Esposito's desks. Ryan was on the phone and Esposito was updating the murder board with a picture of an African-American man in his fifties. Above the picture, Esposito had written the name Donald Washington AKA Jet.

Esposito told her that Ellis had run his nickname and tattoo through the data base and had gotten a vagrancy hit on Washington. "He has multiple citations for vagrancy and loitering but nothing violent," Esposito said.

"Get this," said Ryan after hanging up the phone. "I spoke with Wanda Spelling, Mr. Washington's social worker and she told me that he has been in and out of homes for years. He's been diagnosed with autism. He's high functioning but keeps walking out of his group home three blocks away. I asked her if she believed he had any medical training and she said no. Then, I asked her if he would be capable of climbing a fire escape and she said that he has a sever fear of heights. So, we can eliminate Mr. Washington as a suspect."

"Still, he may be a witness or he might be able to tell us if he has seen someone suspicious in the neighborhood if he's high functioning," Castle said.

Ellis popped her head out from the tech room and called the team over. "So, I have gone through the tapes provided by Antonio Messina, the owner of the Tidewater Bodega. Messina lives in an apartment above the bodega and sometimes works behind the counter. It appears that Angela Steward made a purchase at the bodega at approximately 5:13 pm the night of her murder. Lanie put time of death between 6:30 and 8:30. Ms. Cole shows up on the tapes at 7:30 the morning of her murder and then again at approximately 8:00 pm. Tony Messina was working the register in the morning and had what seemed to be an uncomfortable conversation with the victim. I didn't see Mr. Washington at either time Ms. Cole was at the bodega. However, Mr. Washington does show up on the tape the evening Angela Steward made her purchases like the clerk said."

"Show us the video of Messina and Cole," Esposito said. The group moved into the tech room. Ellis played the video. Cole walked into the bodega and walked over to the coffee machine and made herself a small coffee. She took a packaged muffin from a stack next to the coffee and walked to the register. Messina rang up her purchases. The video showed Messina leering at Cole. He said something to Cole that startled her and made her blush. She handed him her money and waited for her change. He smiled broadly and held back her change until she answered him. She looked annoyed as she took her change and walked out of the store.

"He hit on her and she turned him down," said Castle.

"Oh, you recognize the look," Kate teased. Ellis, Esposito and Ryan all smiled.

Castle smirked back at his girlfriend. "Funny," Castle said.

"He hit on me at the bodega the day I picked up the videos," Ellis said.

"Did he?" Esposito asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He said I was so beautiful he would do me dead or alive," Ellis told them. They all laughed at the horrendous come on line. "After I showed him my badge and he seemed to lose interest," Ellis said.

"Is that so?" Esposito questioned. His phone rang startling him. He immediately answered it. "Got it. Hold him until we get there but don't arrest him. He's no longer a suspect. Buy Mr. Washington a cup of coffee and some food. We'll be there in a few minutes," he said into the phone before hanging up. "Unis are holding Washington outside the bodega. I figure we can talk to both Washington and Messina at same time."

"Maybe you should ask Ms. Spelling to meet us there. She might be able to help us talk to him and she can take him back to the group home," Kate said to Ryan. Castle smiled at Kate. He had described her as kind once and this confirmed it.

"On it," Ryan replied stepping over to his desk to make the phone call.

"Ellis, why don't you keep reviewing the videos and see if Messina had any contact with the other victims. Also run Messina through the data base and call us if anything pops," Esposito said. She nodded and walked over to Beckett's old desk. Castle watched Kate's smile faded as Ellis sat at Kate's old desk and logged on to her computer.

Ryan finished his phone call and joined the others at the elevator. "She'll meet us there," he told Kate.

-Break-

Ryan and Esposito were the first to arrive at the bodega but Kate and Castle arrived right behind them. Esposito and Ryan head to the squad car. Mr. Washington was seated in the back seat with the door open holding a cup of coffee in one hand and drawing numbers in the air with his other hand. He mumbled equations to himself. A heavy set woman in a track suit approached the squad car. "Hi Jet," she said to Washington in a friendly tone. Then she turned to the officers and asked, "Detective Ryan?"

Ryan responded by putting his hand out, "Ms. Shelley, thank you for coming." They shook hands and he introduced her to the others. Ms. Shelley explained that Mr. Washington had a fixation with numbers and the Jets. They decided that Ryan and Ms. Shelley would ask him about the victims and if he saw anyone following them. Esposito, Castle and Beckett headed into the bodega to ask the clerk a few questions about the bodega owner before they headed up to his apartment to talk to him. Esposito's phone rang and he told the other to go ahead while took Ellis' call.

Kate walked ahead of Castle into the bodega. There was a man standing behind the counter. He hadn't taken his eyes off her as she approached the counter. "You are so hot you melt the plastic in my underwear," he said. The come on was so awful, Kate couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"And you must be Mr. Messina," said Castle from behind Beckett as he put his hand midway down her back and smirked at the man.

The man looked at Castle and instantly recognized him. "I get it," he said. "He's your sugar daddy. Well, when you're ready for a real man, I'll be waiting sweetheart," he winked at Beckett.

Beckett showed him her ID from the AG's Office, "In your dreams, sweetheart." Messina smiled back enjoying the repartee with Agent Beckett.

Esposito came up behind them and badged the bodega owner. "Mr. Messina, my name is Detective Javier Esposito, this is Agent Beckett and Mr. Castle. Detective Ellis was here earlier and you gave her the videos from your cash register for the past week. She said you were very helpful. We would like you to come down to the station to answer a few questions. As you see, we have detained Mr. Washington and we would really appreciate your assistance. Is there someone who can watch the store for you?" Esposito asked.

"My clerk will be back in just a few minutes from her dinner break," Messina told them. "I'm sorry about the come on, sweetheart," he said to Kate still smiling at her. "I didn't realize you were a cop." He looked her up and down, undressing her with his eyes.

They wanted him to come in voluntarily, so Kate played along and said, "Well, sweetheart, you can make it up to me by helping us with our investigation."

Lacey Swartz was surprised to see the detectives in the bodega when she got back from her break. She looked a little more rested and relaxed than the last time they had seen her. "Good you're here," Messina said. "The police have arrested Mr. Washington. I'm going to go down to the precinct to help out the police." He moved toward the door as Swartz took off her jacket and moved behind the counter.

As they stood outside, Esposito told an officer to escort take Mr. Messina to the precinct. After Messina and the officer left, Ryan joined the others.

"Ms. Shelley is taking Mr. Washington back to his group home. He only recognized Angela Steward from the photos. He said he has been showing up at the bodega at about 5:00 pm every day to get his money from the clerk. She said he has been emptying the trash can outside the bodega every day this week to earn a little extra money to buy a ticket to a Jets' game. He's high functioning but it's unlikely he can describe anyone who has been hanging around the bodega," Ryan said.

"Ellis called to say that Messina has a couple of arrests for assault and an old girlfriend filed a restraining order against him. She's reviewing the tapes looking for any other encounters between Messina and the other victims," Esposito said.

"Castle and I will meet you at the precinct after we ask the clerk a few more questions about Messina."

The partners drove off to the precinct as Castle and Beckett headed back into the bodega.

The clerk was surprised to see them return. "Ms. Swartz, may we ask you a few more follow up questions about Mr. Washington and Mr. Messina?" The clerk nodded her head. Beckett knew that by alluding to Washington as a suspect, Swartz might be more willing to talk freely about Messina. "Does Mr. Washington do anything to earn the money that you give him?" Beckett asked.

"Sometimes he empties out the trash can out front and throws it into the dumpster in the back," Swartz said. "I get a little nervous going into the ally after I close the store at midnight."

"Has he had any arguments or altercations with any of the customers or venders in the neighborhood?" Castle asked.

"Not really. He just loiters around the shops talking to himself," she replied.

"Has your boss had any altercations with Mr. Washington?" Beckett asked.

"No. Like I said before, Mr. Messina had a soft spot for the guy and told me to give him money."

"When we arrived Mr. Messina was working the counter while you were on break. Does he do that every night? Give you a break, I mean?" Beckett asked.

The clerk smirked, "He's supposed to give me a dinner break every night between 6:00 and 7:00 but he doesn't stick to that time. Tonight, he did not show up until an hour ago. Other nights, when he gets lucky," she said with enough stink on it to get her message of disapproval across, "He calls me and tells me to close up a half hour early and counts that as my dinner break."

"Have you ever seen him speak inappropriately to female customers?" Castle asked.

Swartz declared, "He considers himself a player…likes them young and pretty." She looked up at Beckett and said, "Tell me he didn't hit on you? I'm like an old heifer, past my prime. So, my boss and I get along just fine."

"Have you ever seen him get…too pushy?" Beckett asked.

"Do I really have to answer these questions? I need this job since my divorce. You know, we're not usually in the bodega at the same time. And like I said, I'm not the type he would generally hang out with. I rather spend time with my animals than my boss," she said. Beckett could tell that this was the most she was going to get from this clerk tonight.

"Thank you, Ms. Swartz. We appreciate you talking to us," Beckett said.

As Beckett and Castle got into their car, Kate said, "She's holding back." Kate rubbed her eyes. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Ryan. "We didn't get much from the clerk. We're heading in." She paused listening to him speak. "Got it. We'll see you 6:00 a.m. tomorrow." She hung up and turned to Castle. "Rick, turn around let's go home. Messina lawyered up the minute he got into the precinct. We've both been going nonstop all day long." She reached out and put her hand on his as he drove. "We need to get some rest."

"I'll make you a bath with candles as soon as we get home."

"I'm so tired I'll just want to go to bed. I'll shower in the morning," Kate said, leaning her head against the headrest. "Rick, would it be too much of an imposition for me to ask you to find a realtor and sell my apartment while I'm in DC?" she asked.

Castle smiled. He would have to thank Pi for making Kate see herself a little more clearly. In the past few hours she had called him Rick more often than she had ever before. And now she was ready to sell her apartment. He had known she loved him and wanted to marry him but she had no idea how to be a couple. Sure she had dated before but she had always maintained her independence. Letting him take responsibility for her apartment was evidence that she was ready to surrender some of her famous control for the sake of the relationship. "Are you sure, Kate?" he asked.

"I trust you," was all she said before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

It's About My Future Chapter 8

Castle parked the car outside the loft. Kate was fast asleep in the passenger seat. He thought of carrying her up to bed but decided it wouldn't be good for his knee. He opened her door and leaned over her, then, lightly kissed her lips. She reached out and put her arms around his neck. Now he had no choice but to lift her into his arms despite his knee. The doorman saw him carrying Kate and opened the front door and called the elevator for him. Castle somehow managed to pull out his keys and open the door. The apartment was dark when they entered. He lay her down on the bed and began to undress her starting with her shoes. His cell phone rang and Kate stirred. Castle left her in the bed and moved to the adjacent office.

"Castle," he answered.

Ryan was calling from the precinct. "Hey Castle. We got another body," he said. Castle's heart sank. "We can text you the address but understand if you can't make it." Castle considered crashing with Beckett but didn't want to leave the boys short-handed.

"No. Give me a few minutes to get Kate settled and I'll meet you there," he said and hung up the phone.

A minute later his phone chirped with the address of the murder scene. Castle stood up and walked to the bedroom. Kate was sitting up and putting her shoes back on. "Kate, stay. You're tired and you need to get some sleep before your meeting tomorrow."

"Rick, I heard you. You are going out to the crime scene. As long as you're going, so am I," Kate told him. She stood up and headed for the front door. Castle knew better than to argue with her.

-Break-

They arrived at the crime scene and found a woman besought with grief sitting in the tiny living room. Ryan sat next to her taking notes. Castle and Beckett put gloves on as they entered the apartment and moved to the bathroom. They found Lanie hovered over the body of a young woman in her early twenties. Unlike the previous victims, she had red hair. Esposito entered the room and said, "Meet Lori Martin, 24 years old, worked as a receptionist at an uptown law firm. Her sister, Candice, found her like this before midnight. She had arrived from Ohio for a surprise visit and found her sister drown in the tub."

"Javier Esposito since when do you get to determine cause of death?" Lanie asked. He winked at her and she smiled. Lanie, then, turned her attention to Kate. "It's good to see you, girl," Lanie said to Kate.

"Wish it were under better circumstances," Kate said.

Lanie nodded her head, "Well, like Dr. Esposito here said, she drown in the bathtub like our other victims. She has a puncture wound on the side of her neck." Lanie pointed to the red mark on the victim's neck. "I put time of death at 10:08 p.m.," she continued.

"Broken watch?" Kate asked.

"You know all my tricks. Actually, I would say time of death was between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m. but I can give you a more accurate time of death after I do her autopsy."

Esposito added, "The murderer entered from the fire escape. The window was open. There was no forced entry. Uniforms are canvasing the building for witnesses. Hopefully, CSU will find something this time since the crime seems to have occurred within the past few hours."

"Lacey Swartz said that Messina came down to cover her dinner break at 10:00 p.m. If the watch is right, he couldn't have committed the murder. But Messina could have set the watch ahead and then gone to the bodega to give himself an alibi. We'll need to get a search warrant for the video and for Messina's apartment. I doubt he'll volunteer the video now that he's under arrest," Beckett said.

They joined Ryan in the living room. He introduced them to the victim's sister. "Candice, please tell Agent Beckett, Mr. Castle and Detective Esposito what you told me," Ryan said.

"My sister lives alone. I have a key to the apartment and thought it would be nice to surprise her with an impromptu slumber party like when we were kids," Candice said, as her eyes watered again.

"Candice, how often did you visit your sister?" Beckett asked.

"I live in Ohio, so I don't see her very often but we are very close and talk all the time. My company sent me to New York for a meeting. I wanted to stay here instead of being alone in a hotel room," Candice said.

"Did you see anyone when you came in?" Esposito asked.

"No. I heard the water running and thought she was taking a bath and found her like that," she pointed to the bathroom. "What am I going to tell our parents?" she asked.

"Candice if we could ask you a couple of more questions." The woman tried to compose herself. "Did Lori have a boyfriend?"

"Yes, he's a pilot with Delta. When I talked to Lori today, she said he had a flight to California tonight and she would be alone. He has his own apartment in California, but spends most of his time here when he's in town."

"Did they get along?" Castle asked.

"They were engaged and planning their wedding next month."

"Was anyone upset about the wedding?" Castle asked.

"No. We were all happy for them," Candice said.

"Was she having trouble at work?"

"None," Candice said.

"Can you think of anyone who might want to hurt her?" Beckett asked.

"No one," she said.

"Thank you Candice, Officer Velasco will take you to your hotel," Ryan told her.

"We need to get the warrant and send CSU to Messina's apartment and to pick up todays video tape," Beckett said.

"On it," said Ryan. He took his phone out of his pocket and called Ellis. She could work on the warrant as they wrapped up the crime scene.

"Messina's tucked in for the night. Ellis, Ryan and I are just going to go over the video tapes again and see if we can find any more evidence against Messina. Why don't you guys go home and meet us at the precinct with fresh eyes in the morning?" Esposito said.

Lanie joined the group in the living room, "We're taking the victim to the morgue. I think I may be able to narrow down time of death to within a half hour. I'll see you all tomorrow. Kate, you won't leave without stopping by the morgue first?"

"I promise," Kate said. "I'll buy you a bear claw in the morning." The women gave each other a good-bye hug.

"We'll have uniforms canvas the surrounding area for witnesses and cameras," Ryan said.

"I'm fine guys," Kate said feeling a bit guilty.

Ryan said, "Beckett we know you care, but this isn't your case. You have your own case to deal with. We've got this. Go get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow."

Esposito nodded in agreement. "We've got this," he repeated Ryan's words.

"Oh, guys," she remembered. "I need to update you on my case." She had told Castle about her phone call but not the boys. "McAdams said that Wells' mentor was Jeffery Hines."

Esposito said, "He was one of the partners at Arantas Solutions." Javier had been the one to look into Arantas Solutions after his military contact had told him that Cedric Marx had worked for them after getting out of the military.

"We now have a connection between Arantas Solutions and Grady's murder," Kate told them. "I hope to have more information in the next couple of days. I promise to keep you posted."

Ryan whispered, "We shouldn't be talking about this here." Kate was so tired from the stresses of the day that she didn't realize they were surrounded by uniforms and technicians. "Go home. We'll talk about this tomorrow. I promise we're only going back to the precinct for an hour. We'll meet you in the morning."

Kate knew he was lying. Ryan and Esposito would probably take turns sleeping on the couch in the break room until they found the killer, but she was too tired to argue.

-Break-

By time Kate and Rick made it back to the loft it was 1:00 a.m. They were both so exhausted that they had hardly exchanged a word while they undressed. Kate pulled her clothes off and put on a ribbed tank top. Castle lay under the covers in just his boxers.

"This was not how I was expecting to end the evening when I flew in this afternoon," Kate said hugging her pillow.

"I can rally if you would like," Castle said.

"No offense, Rick, but if you touch me right now, I will shoot you," Kate grinned.

"Oh, good, because I was lying," he said. "I am so tired I can't even finish this sentence." Kate giggled. Within seconds they were both fast asleep neither realizing they had left the bathroom light on.

Kate woke up four hours later and slipped out of her tank top. She snuggled up to Castle to give him a wake up surprise. Castle stirred at the feel of her semi naked body next to him. He opened his eyes hoping he wasn't dreaming. Kate pulled on his boxers. "Kate," Castle groaned.

The two lovers spent the next half hour enjoying the touch and feel of each other. After they'd showered and dressed, Kate joined Castle at the breakfast bar. He handed her a cup of coffee and a plate of scrambled eggs, toast and bacon. He ate a bowl of cereal with sliced strawberries and non-fat milk.

She raised an eyebrow. "So, no work out with Ellis this morning?" she asked coyly.

"Oh my days of working out with Ellis are over but I wouldn't mind watching the two of you sparing," Castle told her.

She slapped his arm.

"Well, you brought it up," he shielded himself from her. "No…seriously Kate. I told Ellis after our last workout that I'll be working out with Esposito from now on."

"Good," Kate said leaning forward to kiss him. "Now eat your breakfast. We've got to catch the killer before I leave."

"Yes, ma'am," Castle saluted.

-Break-

When Castle and Beckett arrived at the precinct Esposito was sleeping in the break room and Ryan was out cold over a work bench in the tech room. "Let them sleep a little longer while we study the murder board," Kate said.

"Look Kate," Castle said pointing to a notation on the murder board. "Uniforms must have found a witness."

"One of the neighbors said he saw someone walking away from the fire escape in the back ally," Ellis said striding to her desk and putting her bag in the bottom drawer. "He said that the figure was slim and had blonde hair. They showed him a photo array with a picture of Tony Messina and he wasn't able to identify him."

"Did he say what time he saw the figure?" Kate asked.

"No," Ellis said. "He had fallen asleep reading and woke up to close his window when he saw the figure. He didn't look at the time and went back to reading. When pressed he said it had to be after 9:30 but before 11:00. Ryan and Esposito called Judge Markway to sign the warrant. They were on their way to Messina's apartment when I left at about 2:00 this morning."

"We didn't find anything so far. I've been reviewing the tapes from the bodega for yesterday." Ryan said. His hair was plastered to his head on one side. Kate used her fingertips to brush his hair down. Ryan ran his hands threw his hair, straightening it up. "He never spoke to Lori. She came into the bodega at about 6:45 pm. Like Sara she bought a six pack of beer. We noticed that all of our victims showed the clerk their IDs. The monitor for the video camera is in the office in his Messina's apartment. We think he picked these four particular women because he could see their ID from the camera above the register. The murders all occurred around the time he gave his clerk a break."

"He checks the videos for his victims," Esposito said, as he ran his tongue over his teeth. "Zooms in on their ID, goes to their apartments and murders them. Then, he goes back to the bodega and gives Swartz her break. We're waiting for Lanie call us with the results from the autopsy. We need to get a time of death for Lori. If it happen at 10:08 like Lanie said Messina will have an alibi."

"We have him at the bodega from 9:56 to 11:00," Ellis added.

Ryan's phone rang. Kate moved to the murder board and made some notations based on their conversation.

"Messina's attorney, Janis Snyder, just arrived and is going to see her client," Ryan said. "Maybe, Messina will be ready to answer some questions."

"Doubt it," Castle said. "Would you let your client talk to the police after a warrant has been served?" They all knew that the details of the case would be written in the warrant and that Messina and his attorney would know that they suspected him of killing all four women.

They all turned when an older woman in a conservative black suit approached. "My client is ready to answer a few questions," she said.

Ryan followed the attorney to Holding and appeared a few minutes later with Messina. They moved to Messina to an interrogation room. Ellis, Castle and Beckett watched from the other side of the two way mirror.

"Mr. Messina," Esposito started. "Do you recognize any of these women?" Ryan placed one photo of each victim across the table as they all watched Messina for any reaction. Messina was visibly shaken and took a moment to study each woman." He pointed to Lisa Cole. "She came in a couple of days ago and bought a cup of coffee and a muffin. I remember I talked to her," he said.

"What did you talk about?" Ryan asked.

"I told that I lost my phone number and asked if I could borrow hers. Then, I told her to be unique and say yes. She said no and walked out," he said.

"How did she react?" Ryan asked.

"Like most women. She didn't appreciate the effort and walked off in a huff."

"Have you ever flirted with any of these other women?" Esposito asked.

"Listen, these dames live in the neighborhood. I think I have seen one or two of them before in the bodega. They are all beautiful who wouldn't notice them, but I didn't kill them," Messina said. "I love women."

"What can you tell us about Anika Nino?" Ryan asked.

"Detectives we all know that Ms. Nino has a restraining order against my client," said the lawyer. "But that RO is two years old and he has had no contact with her since."

"She alleged that you harassed her and wouldn't leave her alone after she broke up with you," said Esposito.

"Oh…and I see that a couple of assault charges were filed against you," Ryan said.

"Both of those charges were dropped," Janice Snyder said.

"What is it with you, Messina? Did these ladies turn you down and you couldn't handle the rejection so you followed them home and killed them?" Esposito said.

"Don't answer that," said the lawyer.

"I had nothing to do with those women death!" yelled Messina. "I may be a player but I am not a murderer."

Ryan stood up and leaned into Messina, "I think you're both, Messina. You watched those women come in from the monitor in your apartment. Like you said, you knew that these beautiful young women would never fall for your bullshit. So, you went to their apartments and murdered them."

"That's it Detectives. All you have is one conversation on tape with one of the four victims and an elderly witness who saw a tall blonde figure walking away from the crime scene. What are you going to do, round up all the tall blonde men in the city who flirt with women and accuse them of the murders? Like my client said, flirting does not add up to murder. This interview is over," declared Snyder. "Maybe we'll talk after you file formal charges. Until then, I am instructing my client not to speak to you." She stood up and waited for her client to be escorted back to holding.

They joined the others in the room adjacent to interrogation. "We'll go through the videos again to see if he talked to any of the other women," Esposito said.

"She's right about the ID. I bet there are hundreds of guys and some girls who match the description of the figure your witness saw in the alley," Castle said.

"Hopefully, forensics will come up with something that will put him at one of your murder scenes," Ryan said.

Kate said, "You have motive, and you may have opportunity depending on time of death but you don't have means. Have you found anything that connects him to the sedative?" she asked.

"We're still looking into his back ground. We ordered financials and list of phone calls. We'll get those within the hour," Esposito said.

"I'll call track down Anika Nino and see what she has to say about Messina," said Ellis.

"I'll get some coffee started," Castle said. Kate smiled as he headed for the break room. He was always so considerate.

Captain Gates arrived in time to get a fresh cup of brewed coffee. Fortunately, for her there was one more cup last cup which she poured herself before heading into her office. As she stopped at the tech room where Beckett was reviewing videos with Ellis and Castle, she asked Kate to join her in her office for a moment.

Castle was sitting in a chair watching the video. Kate put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and headed for Gates' office.

"Kate, it's good to see you. How is the AG's office?" Captain Gates asked as she settled behind her desk. Kate sat across from her. "Are you enjoying the work?"

"Yes Sir. It's challenging, but I haven't been there long enough to form a lasting impression," Kate admitted.

"I can imagine it was difficult to leave New York and your squad, but I hope you are getting a chance to do more," Gates said.

"I think I am but it's still too soon to know for sure. I do miss the squad and my partner," Kate said honestly.

"Your partner," Gates echoed in a whisper.

"Thank you Captain for letting me help out with this case," Kate added.

"I'm glad you're here because I wanted to talk to you about Senator Bracken," she said.


	9. Chapter 9

It's About My Future-Chapter 9

In a measured and deliberate tone, Kate said, "Captain, I want to warn you that if we have this conversation, you may be exposing yourself to unprecedented danger?"

"Kate, I heard you talking to Robert McManus. You told him that Bracken killed your mother and tried to kill you and your friends. Did you really think I would forget what you said?" Kate shook her head worried about the danger she was putting her friends through. "Why haven't you come to me about this before?" Gates asked, looking pointedly at Kate.

"I need you to trust me when I say the less you know about this situation the better, the safer you are. I have things under control," Kate said.

"How? Tell me what you have so that I can protect you," said Gates.

"All I can say is that we have an understanding." Kate looked into Gates eyes wanting to tell her everything but too afraid to speak the words out loud. "These walls may have ears. The fewer people who know about this the safer for us all." Kate glanced at the bullpen and then back to Captain Gates. She ran her hand through her hair and cupped her chin, her elbow coming to a rest in her lap. Her eyes lost focus as she thought about the chain of events that had led to this moment. She wanted nothing more than to bring Bracken to justice not only for herself but for all the collateral damage he had caused in his assent to the top. Like many men of his kind, Bracken believed that his illicit activities were justified for the greater good of the people. He had said as much at their first meeting. She looked back up at Gates and said, "If I had what I needed to take care of this situation, I would but I don't have all of the pieces of the puzzle yet."

"Share what you have with me and I will find the remaining pieces," Gates told her. "I assume that as long as he is allowed to operate with impunity you and my detectives are in danger. You may not believe me but I care about all of you," she said sincerely.

"Even Mr. Castle," Gates added. Kate saw a small smile come across Gates face.

Kate smiled back but shook her head, "I just can't sir. I will tell you that I'm close to getting the evidence I need and when I do, you will be my first phone call." Kate turned her gaze to the bullpen.

"If you care about them, you will tell me what you suspect and what you have," Gates said.

"It's because I care about them that I can't tell you anything," Kate replied.

"Does he have something on you or one of them?" Gates asked as she pointed out the window.

"No. We're clean. I promise Captain Gates, I will inform you the minute I have something concrete. Until then, I cannot talk about this."

"Very well, Kate. I'll hold you to your promise. But if you change your mind I am ready to use the might of the NYPD." Gates eyes widen to convey her point. She looked out her office window and said, "Take care of them."

Kate nodded her head, "I promise." She rose and headed for the door. "Oh, Captain," Gates looked up at Kate, "Thank you." Gates gave her a small understanding smile and nod. Kate returned the gestured and walked back out into the bullpen.

"You okay?" asked Castle.

"Yeah, Rick I'm fine." Kate ran her hand up and down his arm. He was always there for her. "We talked and I decided not to put her at risk by sharing. Hopefully, this situation will behind us soon."

"Ryan and Esposito are in the interrogation room talking to Anika Nino." He stood up and the two of them headed for the observation room adjacent to interrogation.

"After the third time he cheated on me, I learned my lesson and moved out. But that was not good enough for him. He called me every day and left countless messages on my answering machine begging me to come back. He was unrelenting. So, I got the restraining order. It worked because I haven't seen him since." Anika Nino was not what Kate expected. She was full figured with long strawberry blonde hair, slate blue eyes and a beautiful peaches and cream complexion that even Kate envied.

"How long ago was that?" Esposito asked.

"It's been about two years. I know this might sound funny but I still miss him." She smiled up at Esposito.

"Was he violent?" Esposito asked.

"No," she chucked. "He's a lover not a fighter. He'd never hurt a fly. He just cannot resist flirting with women. It's almost pathological," she added.

"Do you think he might become violent if rejected?" Ryan asked.

"No. Tony is obnoxious but not violent. He was surprisingly gentle in bed," Anika responded. Ryan blushed.

He cleared his throat and continued, "How do you explain the assault charges against him?"

"I don't know. He likes to touch. Some people just don't like to be touched," she shrugged.

"Do you know if he has any medical training?" asked Esposito.

"No. He's afraid of needles and has a huge phobia of dentist. It's a miracle his teeth haven't fallen out," she chuckled.

"Thank you for coming in Ms. Nino. I think we have everything we need. You have been very helpful," Ryan said rising from his seat to show her out.

Castle and Beckett stepped out of observation to confer with Esposito.

Castle asked, "So, what do you think?"

"Everything she said matches his rap sheet," Esposito told them. "The assault charges were dropped both times because the women were satisfied with the arrest. They didn't want to go through with a trail. They each had been offended by his manner but when push came to shove they couldn't be bothered to go through with the charges."

"Have you heard from Lanie yet?" Beckett asked.

"Not yet but the autopsy must be over," Esposito said.

They headed for the tech room where Ellis was reviewing the tapes. "Did you find anything?" Esposito asked.

"No. I went through the traffic cameras and did not spot Messina anywhere in the vicinity of the victim's apartment," Ellis said. "Most of the figures captured by he cameras are too far away or the light is to dim to get a good screen capture of their face. It would be easier if we had a description of his clothing on the nights of the other murders. But I could not find any one matching his description and his clothing last night," Ellis said a bit of desperation creeping into her voice. The long hours of reviewing videos for this case were catching up with her and her usual professional demeanor was starting to crack. Esposito gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Well, we need to talk to Lanie," Castle said.

"Can you call her please?" Esposito asked. In a blink of an eye, Kate would have sworn she saw a look of disappointment cross Ellis' eyes. but it had been so brief that Kate could not be sure of what she saw. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but something was going on between Ellis and Esposito. She would have to remember to talk to Esposito about it later.

Ellis pressed a few keys and clicked the mouse. A dial tone filled the room from the speakers. They all stared at the screen waiting for someone at the coroner's office to respond. The flat screen filled with the image of a beautiful red head. It was Alexis. She had resumed her stalled internship after her return from Costa Rica. "Good morning, Detectives."

"Hi sweetheart. Is Lanie done with the autopsy of Lori Martin?" Castle asked.

"Hi Dad. Hi Kate. She finished the autopsy a few hours ago but was running a few tests to narrow down the time of death."

Alexis stood up to allow Lanie to sit in front of the camera. Kate sneaked a glance at Ellis but saw nothing in the woman's eyes or demeanor change. Instead, Ellis' expression mirrored the others as they all looked attentively at the coroner.

"Good morning. We are putting the official time of death between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m. However, I called the victim's sister and she told me that the victim's watch had been running behind lately. Based on her statement and extensive testing, I would narrow the time of death to sometime between 10:15 and 10:45."

"Then, Messina can't be our killer," Ellis said. "We have him on tape at the bodega during that time. I checked the clock on the tape several times to make sure of the time. It is accurate within two minutes."

"Damn," exclaimed Castle.

Kate asked, "Is there anything else from the autopsy that might help us?"

"I can tell you that the killer's fingers are thin based on the marks on the bodies," Lanie added.

"So, all we have is a tall, blonde man, who injected a sedative into the victims and has slender fingers," Ryan said. "I guess we can send out uniforms to canvas all of the types of places the sedative is sold and see if anyone matching that description purchased some Ketamine recently?"

"Let us know what the canvas turns up. Castle and I have a meeting with the NYPD Counter-Terrorism Unit, but we will be back soon," Kate said. Castle looked surprised but rose to follow her out. "Thanks Lanie. I owe you a bear claw," Kate added.

"You're welcome. But I'm not done," Lanie said. She looked back at Alexis who rose from her chair and the women traded places.

"I did some tests on the sedative. Lanie said that it was a Ketamine like drug. Well, Ketamine can cause morbidity in animals like dogs. Therefore, scientists have been testing dogs with different variations of the drug. Columbia is conducting one such study. We compared the sedative used on the victims with the formula used at Columbia and they matched. I contacted the school and found out that the sedative was given to ten different veterinarians in the Manhattan area to test on their patients. The school is sending us a list of the veterinarians participating in the study," Alexis said, looking back at Lanie who beamed with pride at her protégé.

"That is huge," Castle said.

"That narrows our search considerably," Ryan said. "Thanks, Alexis."

"That's my girl," said Lanie.

"You mean my girl," said Castle, eyebrow raised.

"Alexis, you probably just help us save someone's life," Kate added.

Alexis blushed, "I'm just glad I could help." The team got to work, happy to have a new lead.

-Break-

Beckett walked through the door marked Captain Ajay Paavan, NYPD Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Unit. Inside the office sat a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair, light brown eyes and umber skin. He rose and extended his hand. "Good morning, Agent Beckett. It's nice to meet you, at last."

"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to help with my investigation. This is Richard Castle, the novelist," she said without explaining why she was including him in the interview. The last twenty four hours had reminded Kate how much she loved working cases with Castle. He challenged her in ways that no other partner had ever done. There was no question that she was a good cop. She had aced her exams at the academy and had sailed through the NYPD's detective's exam. However, Castle always challenged her to think outside of the box. He gave her the permission to stretch her imagination to the improbable using her investigative skills. He had a way of taking facts and creating a mosaic that made sense.

They were getting so close to revealing more information about Bracken and Kate knew she would need Castle to help her make sense of the evidence. In fact, Kate realized that to solve this case she would probably need the help of Ryan and Esposito as well. The closer they got to Bracken the more dangerous he became. They couldn't trust anyone.

"Mr. Castle," Captain Paavan said, shaking Castle's hand. "I am a fan of your work both as a writer and as a consultant with the NYPD. I believe the City of New York owes you a debt of gratitude for your assistance in disarming a dirty bomb a few years ago?" he said.

"Happy to help," Castle replied.

"Please take a seat," the Captain said as he sat behind his desk. "My team has made a file for you, Agent Beckett, with the pertinent detail in our investigation of Crescent Horizons. I was a little surprised that you did not already have this information. We were tipped by an informant that Crescent Horizons was involved in buying influence with political figures living and working in the City. This informant works for Crescent Horizons and started to suspect that the donation they were getting were being used improperly. He told us that donations were kept in a safe in the office and that he had seen one of the directors of the charity take stacks of cash from the safe and put it into brief case. The only appointment the director had that day was with a low level aid to the ambassador of Somalia which in and of itself is not unusual but for the fact that the aid was later reported missing by the Somali Embassy, raised suspicions. We decided to make a large donation to the charity and trace the money. We were surprised to find some of the funds had been deposited in the bank accounts of different political figures and government contractors. We had suspected that they might be running a terrorist operation but it appears that they are using the money to buy political influence."

"And one of those political figures was Congressman Baines?" Beckett asked.

"Yes. Now we don't know why the funds were in his account but we suspect it had something to do with the fact that he is on the Republican Congressional Committee and also sits on the House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee. We shared this information with Agent Rachel McCord at your office and with agents at Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation." Beckett was shocked that the AG's office was already working on this issue. Yet the information had not been shared with her or her partner. Beckett had heard of Agent McCord. Along with Agent Stack she was one of the top investigators at the AG's Task Force. Why she would be assigned a case involving Congressman Baines and not be told by her superiors that they were investigating Baines? Kate thought. She would have to get to the bottom of this when she got back to DC.

"Captain Paavan is there anything else you can tell me about Crescent Horizons?" Beckett asked.

"We suspect that they are being funded by Middle Eastern economic interests. We believe they have political and economic goals in mind, and don't pose any imminent danger to the people of this City. We haven't traced any of the funds to any terrorist activities in the New York City area but will continue to monitor them just in case," Captain Paavan said.

"Would we be able to speak to your informant?" asked Castle.

Captain Paavan smiled and shook his head, "No, Mr. Castle."

"However, if you come across any information, we would urge you to share that information with us," Paavan smiled. His phone rang and he answered. He put the person on the other end of the line on hold. "Mr. Castle, Agent Beckett it has been a pleasure meeting you." He held out his hand and they shook hands again.

As they rode the elevator down Castle asked, "Do you know Agent McCord?"

"Yes. She's one of the Deputy Director's favorites. I haven't worked with her but I have heard a lot about her. She uncovered the scandal involving the high ranking officials at the Department of Defense using their position in pay for play deals."

"Didn't they arrest twenty individuals involved in that scandal?" Castle asked.

"They did, due to her investigation," Kate replied

"Do you think they are testing you?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Stack said you had a way of thinking outside the box. Maybe they got stuck on their case like Stack had gotten stuck on the drone case and they are using you and McAdams to come up with something different. If it weren't for you, Stack would have never found Simon Warburg," he said.

"We found Warburg. Me, you, Ryan and Esposito." Kate paused. She had already realized that Stack had used them and their skills to find the answers he could not. Maybe this was a major component of the AG's office. They used misdirection and secrecy to motivate others to find the answers they sought.

"I'm going to need you and the boys to help me on this case. I can't trust anyone else. Can you come back to DC with me…please?" she asked.

Castle was surprised by her request. It took him a moment to answer, "Are you sure? You told me that I could not investigate cases with you anymore," Rick said.

"I know what I said, Rick. But this case is too important. You may not be able to accompany on interviews but I need you to be a second set of eyes and ears from me. Will you help me?" Kate asked again.

"Of course I will," he said. "I will do whatever you want." He took her in his arms.

"I just want you," Kate eyes twinkled as she repeated the line yet again and leaned forward to kissed him.

**Write's Note**: To the guessed reviewer who was angry about my story description including spoilers, I am sorry and hope that writing Spoiler Alert ahead of the description will solve the problem for others.

If you are following this story, kind words and words of encouragement are greatly appreciated.


	10. Chapter 10

It's About My Future-Chapter 10

Castle and Beckett took their coffees from the barista and sat at a table. Castle pulled out his phone and searched Crescent Horizons and called the number. "Good morning, my name is Richard Castle and I am a novelist. I would like to make an appointment with one of your representatives to talk about the work you do," he said. "You've heard of me, wonderful. Well, would it be possible to meet right now. I happen to be free this morning and would like to talk to someone about the kind of work you do," Castle paused. "That would be wonderful. Thank you. I will see you in 20 minutes." Castle hung up the phone.

"Thanks Rick," Kate said. "There she is." Kate rose from her seat to give Martha a hug. Martha was holding a matching Louis Vuitton garment bag and large tote.

"Darlings," she said, kissing Castle and Kate on the cheek. "How much time do we have?" Martha asked.

"We need to be across the street in twenty minutes," Castle said.

"Wonderful. We will be done in ten," Martha said. "Let's go Katherine." Kate followed Martha to the restroom. The ladies room was a single occupancy restroom. They entered and locked the door. "Thank you Martha for all this. I know it was last minute…"

Martha waved her hand at Kate. "Darling, I live for moments like these. I'm glad I can be useful. You know, I have been playing dress up my whole life. I am so happy I get to share what I love with you," Martha hugged Kate.

"Now, I brought your shoes and the only two suits with skirts that you had in the closet. Which one would you like to try on first?"

"I thought I would go with the red suit."

"Wonderful. Why don't you slip into it while I prepare your make-up, jewelry and hair," Martha said.

"What did you have in mind for my hair?" Kate asked.

"I thought we would go blonde," she said pulling the wig out of the large tote bag. "What do you think, Katherine?"

Kate's smiled, "Whatever you say, Madam Director."

Ten minutes later, Kate looked in the mirror and saw a short haired blonde wearing chic tortoise shell glasses, a vintage red Chanel suit and six inch nude Jimmy Choo patent leather pumps. "Darling you look marvelous," Martha said. Kate laughed as she thought back to the old Billy Crystal routine from Saturday Night Live.

Kate walked out of the restroom with Martha in tow. She wore a good amount of jewelry and make up borrowed from Martha. Castle leered at Kate, and said, "You've got to wear that for me later."

Martha beamed with pride and did a little clap of her hands and kicked up her left heal in delight. "Doesn't she look fabulous? Truly unrecognizable. I must say this is some of my best work."

"Unrecognizable is right. No one will get a cop vibe from you in that outfit," Castle said. Kate slapped his arm.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Thanks again, Martha," Kate said, giving her future mother-in-law a hug. "Ready," she said taking the small Louis Vuitton handbag Martha handed her.

"You two have fun," Martha said as they exited the coffee shop.

Minutes later, Castle and Beckett entered the offices of Crescent Horizons. They were met by a handsome man in his late forties. "Are you Robert Abadi?" Castle asked.

Mr. Abide held out his hand, "I am and you must be the famous Richard Castle." The men shook hands.

"This is my literary agent, Paula Haas," Castle turned to introduce Kate.

"Ms. Haas," Mr. Abadi said, shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Abadi," Kate said.

"Welcome to Crescent Horizons. Please follow me. Mr. Castle, you mentioned that you were interested in learning more about our organization, is this in regards to a book?" he asked as he led them to his office. Hanging on the hallway walls were black and white pictures of smiling men, women and children in villages in the Middle East.

"Yes. I'm doing research for my next book, and I'm featuring a Middle Eastern story line with connections to New York."

Abadi's office was beautifully decorated. A mother of pearl inlaid wood desk stood by the large window overlooking the plaza below. There was a wall of built-in, intricately carved, lace wood bookcases filled with pictures and ceramics along one wall. Kate moved to the bookcase as Castle and Abadi sat down in the lounge area of his large office.

As Abadi spoke, Kate looked through the pictures on the bookshelf. "We work on the development of health programs, environmental issues, peace initiatives, microfinance, social entrepreneurship, education programs and more," Mr. Abadi said. "How did you hear about us?" Abadi asked.

Kate recognized the El-Masri's in one of the pictures at what looked like a charity event. "Richard didn't you say that Anwar and Lina El-Masri had told you about Crescent Horizons?" Kate said, hoping that Rick would catch on to her leading question.

"Yes. Anwar and I have become friends over the past few months and he spoke highly of your organization," Castle said convincingly.

Abadi smiled, "Mr. and Mrs. El-Masri are very prominent in the Middle Eastern community. They are a very kind couple and have contributed to our organization over the past few years." Then, Abadi went on to describe all the prominent people connected to the organization.

In another picture, Abadi posed with six or seven other people including Eric Vaughn. "You know Eric Vaughn?" Kate asked.

Castle's head snapped toward Kate so fast she thought he might get whiplash. Kate pointed to the picture on the bookshelf. She quickly looked between Castle and Abadi, hoping that Castle's jealously wouldn't blow their cover.

Abadi stood up and moved to the book shelves and said, "Not really." He took the photo off the shelf and handed it to Castle. "He attended an event at the United Nations and was kind enough to pose with several of us for pictures. He is very charming. We were honored to meet such an extraordinary and generous man. Do you know him?"

"Yes…" Castle said frowning. "I do, but I just found him to be ordinary," Castle said. "Is it me or does he look like he's wearing a hair piece?" Castle said as he returned the picture to Abadi. Kate turned away from Abadi to roll her eyes.

Abadi moved to the bookshelf and returned the picture to its place. He pointed to a picture of Congressman Baines, and told them that he had recently attended a charitable event hosted by Crescent Horizons. Kate asked, "Isn't he from the 2nd District of New York?"

"Yes." Abadi said. "We have the support of the Congressman and both of our U.S. Senators." Castle and Beckett knew that Bracken was one of the two senators.

"So you have a close relationship with political figures in the government?" Castle asked.

"We are building a relationship with Congressman Baines," Abadi said. "However, Senator William Bracken was a key note speaker at one of our charity events and has been a strong supporter for several years. In fact, here he is with Jeffery Hines, CEO of Arantas Solutions," Abadi said. Kate looked at the picture of Senator Bracken standing next to an attractive African-American man in his late fifties. The banner behind them said "Building a Better Future for Middle East/US Relations."

Castle said, "I've never heard of Arantas Solutions. What do they do?"

Abadi said, "They are a military contractor, like Halliburton."

"Isn't it unusual for a military contractor to be connected to a charitable organization like yours?" Castle asked.

"It's not as unusual as you would think. Mr. Hines and Mr. Bracken have visited our centers in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Egypt on numerous occasions. They are first hand witnesses to the issues confronting our people. In fact, Arantas Solutions has provided the Senator with extra security when visiting some of our public work sights. I would love to show you a video of some of our programs if you will please follow me to our conference room," Abadi said.

Castle and Beckett moved to the door. "Oh, I forgot my purse," Kate said. She quickly turned back to the office and took out her cell phone and took several pictures of the book shelves.

Moments later they entered a small conference room and Mr. Abadi proceeded to play a short video for them. In one portion of the video Bracken was featured shaking the hand of several village elders. Bracken was surrounded by US Marines. However, as the camera panned to show a wide shot of the village, they could see men and women heavily armed standing guard in fatigues and black shirts. They appeared to be pseudo military personnel. Kate imagined that they must be members of Arantas Solutions. As the camera focused back on a smiling Senator Bracken, Kate noticed Jeffery Hines standing close to the Senator. "Is that Mr. Hines, she asked?"

"Yes. As I said, his team has assisted our volunteers with security thanks to Senator Bracken," Abadi said.

"Mr. Abadi, could you please play the video again?" Castle asked.

Mr. Abadi complied with Castle's request and played the video again. Kate watched it carefully, hoping to spot Wells amongst the Arantas Solutions personnel. As they watched, her blood ran cold. She asked Abadi to pause the video. "Oh, what a beautiful child," she said. But standing next to the beautiful child, was Cedrix Marx. She couldn't be absolutely sure because he wore aviator glasses but her senses told her it was him. "Please continue," she said after she had composed herself.

Once the video was over, Mr. Abadi rose and handed Castle a folder. "This folder includes a list of the programs we are working on, profiles of some of our people out in the field and our mission statement. Are there any other questions I may answer for you?" Abadi asked.

"I think we have enough for now," Castle said. "Don't you think Paula?"

"Yes. Now Mr. Abadi, we cannot reveal Mr. Castle's story line but I believe you have given us a lot to consider."

"Yes. I have some ideas already," Castle said. "Mr. Abadi, it has been a real pleasure. I hope I can call on you again if I have further need of your assistance with my book?" Castle asked.

"Of course Mr. Castle. I hope you will feel free to visit us whenever you want."

"Count on it," Castle said. They all shook hands and parted company.

-Break-

Castle drove them back to the precinct. "I took a picture of Abadi's bookcase. Maybe we can get a better look at the people connected to Crescent Horizons," Kate said. "I wish we could get a copy of that video. I think I saw Cedric Marx," Kate added.

"We've got a copy. I pulled my phone out and recorded the video the second time he played it. We can play it back and take our time identifying the members of Arantas Solutions," Castle said.

"That's great, Rick. We have our connection between Captain Wells, Arantas Solutions and William Bracken. Now we just have to figure out what it all means, and we need evidence that connects Bracken to Coonan, Marx and Lockwood. He ordered those men to kill and until we get evidence of those contracts, we have nothing," Kate said.

"We're getting closer. We need to go through Bracken's financials again now that we know more. Maybe we can find a connection," Castle said.

"I have the file in your office," Kate said. "I didn't want to leave it in my apartment while it sat empty and I didn't want to take it to DC with me. I thought it might distract me from my training and I wanted to remain focused. So, I put the file in your file drawer under life insurance," Kate said as she removed some of her make-up. "Your mother did such a wonderful job. We need her to give us a couple of disguises for you to wear if you are going to help me in DC."

"I just got a flashback to my childhood. She used to dress me up and we would act out fairytales," Castle said. Kate could imagine a young handsome boy dressed up like Hansel to his mother's Gretel and smiled.

Castle's phone chirped with a text. He handed his phone to Kate to read.

"It's Jordan. She wants you to call her as soon as possible," Kate said. Kate dialed Jordan's number on her phone. Jordan answered, "Jordan, I with Rick and I have you on speaker phone. We're on our way to the precinct. What do you have?"

"Great. I completed the profile and am ready to go over it with your team," Jordan said.

"Okay. We'll video conference call you when we get into the precinct," Kate said and the women said their good byes.

"Good thing we rescheduled our flight back to DC," Castle said.

"Thank you for coming with me," Kate said.

"Always," Rick answered.

-Break-

Before pulling into the precinct, Kate took off the glasses, jewelry and wig. She shook her hair out and Castle groaned. "I liked the wig," Castle wined.

Kate smiled back, "Later Rick, I promise." She winked at him.

When they arrived at the bullpen they gathered the team. Esposito told them that their canvas had come up with three men that had matched the description of their killer. Uninforms were rounding them up. Castle told them that Jordan called letting him know that she was ready with her profile.

The team gathered in the tech room as Ellis called Jordan Shaw. "Good morning Detectives, Agent Beckett and Mr. Castle." Jordan said as they conference her into the tech room.

"As Castle and Beckett have told you I have completed the profile. We know that your unsub has access to the animal sedative and knows how to inject the drug. But that does not mean that the person has a medical background per se. It may mean that the unsub has been taught to use the drug. So you may be looking for someone who works as a volunteer for one of the veterinarians and has a dog involved in the study. In addition, your killer has been rewriting a traumatic event involving a young woman in a bathtub. The original woman must have walked away unharmed from the original event but the unsub is reliving the event by killing her instead. This gives the unsub a sense of satisfaction over the original event. The murders are not sexually motivated and are executed in a violent manner. The use of the sedative allows the unsub to exert the least amount of force against the victims. So, the unsub is not trying to overpower the victims. The individual you are looking for is a passive aggressive and probably works a menial job," Jordan said. The team listened to every work intently. So, far nothing Jordan had said had surprised them.

"Given all of this information, I believe your killer is a woman," Jordan said.

"I know who the killer is!" Kate and Castle said at the same time.

Author's Note: I bet you know who it is too. Let me know what you think. Kind words are appreciated.


	11. Chapter 11

It's About My Future-Chapter 11

"She picks her victims from the customers who come into the bodega," Castle said.

"And she gets their address from their driver's license," Kate said. The pair continued in rapid succession.

"Then, she talks to each victim, pumping them for information," Castle said.

"She finds out if they are going to be alone or with someone."

"So she waits until Messina shows up for her dinner break."

"Then, she cases the apartments."

"And moves in for the kill."

"She's divorced," Castle said, ticking items on his fingers.

"And she likes to spend time with her animals."

"She thinks she's an old heifer."

"And said she was past her prime."

"She's blonde."

"And tall."

"And has slender fingers."

"We didn't notice her on any of the videos because we were looking for a man."

Jordan interrupted their flow by asking the others, "Are they always like this?"

Ellis, Esposito and Ryan all respond at once, "Yes."

"It's Lacey Swartz," Castle and Beckett declared in unison.

"Well, I guess my work here is done. You have your killer now you just need to arrest her," Jordan said. "And Agent Beckett, give me a call when you have a chance. I have information on the other case you called me about."

"Thanks Jordan," Beckett said. The image disconnected. Unconsciously, the team turned to Beckett. She was still smiling at Castle when she noticed all eyes were on her. She looked back at Castle, shrugged her shoulders and gave out instructions. "Espo, check court records for her ex-husband and cross reference with the DMV," Beckett said.

"As you wish," replied Esposito.

"Ryan, check with the vets and see if Swartz worked for any of them. Then, get a warrant to search her apartment for the sedatives and syringes," she said.

"On it," responded Ryan.

"Ellis, go back and check all of the video and see if you can spot Swartz coming or leaving our victims' apartments," she said.

"Got it," Ellis answered.

"I'll use your computer to see if she has a rap sheet," Beckett said moving to her old desk to run a search on Lacey Swartz.

Castle sat in his old chair and turned to Beckett, "You do realize you don't have to do this. You don't work here anymore."

Beckett looked toward the bullpen and the tech room as the team busied themselves with work. Then, she looked over to Castle and said, "They don't seem to mind. Now don't distract me while I'm working, Castle."

Five minutes later Esposito shouted out, "Yo, I got the ex-husband's info. Per the family court documents the divorce just became final this week."

"Gotham City Veterinary Care just confirmed that Lacey Swartz volunteers on weekends. And get this… she has a bulldog named Jeremiah involved in the study. I'll start writing out the warrant," Ryan said. He started typing furiously on his computer.

"Lacey Swartz has one prior arrest, thirty-five years ago for B&E," Beckett said. "She pled guilty and was given community service. That's how she learned how to break into our victim's apartments."

"She's got to be our killer," said Castle.

"Espo, ask the husband to come in. Castle and I will talk to him while you and Ryan pick up Swartz and execute the search warrant," said Beckett.

When Espo was done with his phone call he turned to Beckett and said, "The ex will be here in twenty minutes. You'll have to interview him with Ellis while Ryan and I serve the warrant on Lacey's apartment." Ryan grabbed his things and the two walked out the door to meet Judge Markoway for the warrant.

Lacey Swartz's ex-husband arrived at the precinct and was escorted by Ellis into the waiting room. Ellis had very limited experience interviewing people of interest so Beckett took over. Swartz fit the stereotype of the lower east side lifetime New Yorker. He had been around the block but deep down inside was a decent guy.

"Mr. Levin does your ex-wife have any medical experience?" Beckett asked.

"Kind of…yeah. She volunteers at a vet's office. Lacey loves animals. She has a way with them. I called her the "dog whisperer." I left her our bulldog when we split. He wouldn't have gone with me anyway. He loves her so much. She showed that dog more affection than she showed me toward the end of our marriage," Levin said, a slight twinge of bitterness in his voice.

"Was the divorce amicable or did she fight you?" Castle asked.

"Nah…we didn't fight about the divorce. I told her I was in love with somebody else and she didn't say nothin'," he said. "I know it stinks that I cheated on her after thirty years of marriage but what can you do…I fell in love with somebody else. I wasn't lookin' for it, you know. It just sort of happen. Lacey had no idea but we hadn't been close, you know…in a long time. I figured I should give it a shot while I still had a chance. You know what I mean?" Levin turned to Castle looking for agreement from the only other male in the room. Castle shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Beckett made a note to talk to him about the exchange later. "I really did feel bad but I love my new wife and have not been this happy since Lacey and I first got together."

"We see here that she was arrested thirty-five years ago for breaking and entering," Beckett said.

"Yeah, she was a wild one. Quiet but wild, you know. She ran with a crew when we were growing up that scaled apartment buildings and stole things. Nothing major… you know. Just kid stuff. Jewelry, clothes, small radios, cassettes…you know, like that. But once she got arrested she was scared straight. We started dating soon after and got married. Maybe if we had kids we might have stayed together but we couldn't, and I know it ate at her," Levin said, sadness in his eyes. "I hear what your sayin she's done but she is good people. She's not in her right mind right now."

"Thank you Mr. Levin. You've been very helpful," Beckett told him.

A few minutes later, Esposito and Ryan called in from Swartz's apartment. They found the sedatives and syringes and were bringing in Swartz. They told Beckett and Castle that Swartz had taped the carbon copies of the cash register receipts from Tidewater Bodega to each of the syringes she had used to sedate the women and put them in a box in her closet as her trophies. CSU would bag everything for trial if it ever came to that.

When they got back to the precinct Ryan said, "She hasn't said a word since we picked her up. Can you help us with the interrogation?" he asked Beckett.

Minutes later, Beckett and Ryan sat across from Lacey Swartz in interrogation while Ellis, Castle and Esposito watched from observation. "Lacey, we know about your divorce," Beckett said. "You spent thirty years with him. It must have hurt when he left you," she said gently. Lacey didn't respond. "He left you for another woman, didn't he?" Beckett waited but got no response. Tears came to Lacey's eyes but she still said nothing. "You gave him the best years of your life, and he walks away with a younger woman. I know how that must hurt."

"Do you?" Lacey said staring straight into Beckett's eyes. "I doubt it." Swartz wiped away tears. Beckett turned to Ryan and motioned to the door with her head. He understood her meaning and quietly left the room to allow Beckett to continuing the interview eliminating the testosterone in the room.

"But I do know. You start out so in love and hopeful. You look forward to building a life together. And everything starts out great. You become a team. But time pass and you lose the spontaneity you once had. You start taking each other for granted but you still believe you are a team. Then, you start to notice he doesn't spend time with you anymore. Maybe he locks himself away in the den while you sit in your bedroom. He starts coming home late. Then, one day you come home and he tells you that he's leaving you," Beckett said. Castle listened intently and wondered if Beckett was speaking from experience or just trying to connect.

"Is that what he told you happen?" Lacey snorted a laugh. "Well, I guess some of that is true. But it wasn't exactly like that." She paused for a moment. Beckett waited her out.

When Swartz continued, her tone had changed. "She humiliated me in my own home," she finally said bitterly. And then as if needing Beckett to understand, she softly explained, "I came home early from visiting my mother in Yonkers and walked into the house, our house and called out his name but didn't hear anything. So I walked into our bedroom. But he wasn't there. I saw that the bed was made. But, then, I saw her clothes laid out neatly at the end of the bed. I heard the water running in the bath and walked into the bathroom. She hadn't heard me come in. There she lay, naked in my tub, in my house…her twenty three year old slender figure mocking me. I must have made a sound because she looked up at me." Swartz wiped her tears and continued, "She didn't even have the decency to cover herself up. She just sat there and smiled…and you know what she said to me?" Beckett shook her head. "She said, 'Sorry hun, I guess you just got too old,'" Lacey said. "And then, she slowly stood up, grabbed one of my towels and walked out. My knees buckled under me and I just sat on the floor staring at the tub as the water ran. By time I got up off the floor, I was soaked and they had gone."

"So, when the divorce papers were finalized, you felt the pain of that day again," Beckett said in a whisper.

"Yeah, I could see her there, smiling smugly at me. I should have done something. I should have killed her. But all I did was sit and stare." Then, Kate saw something change in Lacey Swartz. She stared out as if reliving the experience in her mind, and said, "I saw her again the night I got the final divorce papers." She smiled wistfully, "But this time, I went to her home and I injected her with a little something to sedate her. I told her to take her clothes off and to lay them neatly on the bed like she had done that night. I told her that she needed to turn on the water and take a bath just like she had done that night. And she did what I told her. She sat in the tub, naked as she had done that night…and this time…this time before she could speak those horrible words to me, I held her under the water until she was gone. And poof, I felt released. I've seen her every night this week and every night I've felt released," Lacey didn't show the slightest sign of remorse.

She turned to look at Beckett and said, "I'm so very tired." She laid her head in her arms on the table, closed her eyes and fell asleep. After a moment, Beckett stood up and left the room.

"You got that on tape?" she asked Ellis, Esposito and Ryan when she entered observation.

"Yeah, we got her. Glad it's finally over," said Esposito.

"I feel like I have been walking on eggshells for a week," said Ryan.

"I don't think I'm equipped for this," Ellis said, as she left the room.

"Good job guys. New Yorkers can sleep a little more easily tonight," said Beckett.

"We wouldn't have caught her if you hadn't gotten that profile from Agent Shaw, Castle," Ryan said. "Thanks, man."

"Always happy to help the NYPD," Castle responded, smiling at Beckett.

"Hey," Esposito said to Ryan. "Let's get out of here before they start making out in front of us."

Beckett rolled her eyes at them as they left observation. She turned back to look at Lacey Swartz as a uniform handcuffed her and took her to holding. "Sad," she said.

"Yeah, Levin was a nice guy and she probably loved him despite her inability to be intimate. It must have crushed her soul when she realized the extent of his betrayal," Castle said.

Kate moved closer to Rick and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She said, "Promise me that as we grow older together you will keep the embers burning?"

"I promise, but you have to promise too," he said.

"Is that what happen with your marriages?" Kate asked. "Did you get bored with Meredith and Gina?" They had not had this conversation yet and although the precinct was not the ideal place to discuss the subject, Kate was happy they were finally communicating.

"Yes and no. Meredith got bored with me and cheated on me with her director. Gina was a mistake both times. I wouldn't say I got bored either time. I was lonely the first time and heartbroken the second time. Gina filled that void. Once I got over the loneliness and heartache I could see that Gina and I were not meant to be together," Rick said earnestly.

"Meredith told me that you and she split up because you knew everything about her and she knew nothing about you and that wasn't enough for her. I thought about what she said for a long time and to be honest, it worried me," Kate told him.

"You know me, Kate. No one has ever known me as well as you," he said. "It's because you know me so well that you were able to surprise me for my birthday." He kissed her lightly on the lips.

"I know, Rick, but you do have a habit of avoiding the tough conversations. You didn't want to tell me what Jordan was and you didn't want to talk about our relationship. You can't do that anymore," she said. He smiled and kissed her again.

"One thing I learned after two failed marriages is that I can only promise to try my best but I am never going to be perfect and you're going to have to call me out when I try to deflect. This is a two way street, Kate. You have to talk to me when things are bothering you. You can't just keep your questions, doubts or suspicions bottled up inside," he said, raising his eyebrow.

"I promise to try," Kate smiled back at him. "Who where you heartbroken about the second time you hooked up with Gina?" Kate asked.

"You," he said simply. "I saw you with Demming and I couldn't handle it. I had never felt like that before. Not even when Kyra left for Europe."

"Oh, Castle. You can't do that to me. I broke up with Demming and was going to accept your invitation to the Hamptons the day you left. I started dating Josh when you came back from the Hamptons and were still with Gina. I had never felt so heartbroken before either," she said. Kate wrapped her arms around Rick's neck and kissed him deeply.

"We have both been such idiots," Rick said. "The moral of this story is that we have to talk, Kate. We cannot keep secrets. I know that is scary but we have to do it if we want this to last forever. I haven't forgotten what you said when we first met. You said you're more of a one and done type of girl. I am holding you to that."

"Okay, Rick. I promise to try too."

"In that case, I have one last question," Castle said. "Do you want kids?"

"Really, you are asking me that here and now?" Kate said, her arms still wrapped around his neck. Castle nodded his head. Kate rolled her eyes, "I have always imagined myself having children but don't know how it would fit in my…" Kate caught herself. "…our life. I wouldn't be devastated if you don't want more children. How about you?"

Castle smiled back, "Being a father has been one of the best experiences in my life, but I would like the next time not to be such a surprise. I would like us both to be on the same page when and if it happens. I have already been blessed with a great child. I don't have to do it again if you don't want to. But I know you would be a great mother, and I would love to share parenthood with you if you decide you want to have children." Castle pulled away from Kate to look into her eyes. "Since we're talking about this, I know that being great at your job is very important to you but having children is another way to leave a meaningful legacy. If your mother hadn't had you her legacy might have died with her."

Kate smiled up at him, "No fair using my mom against me. But I know what you mean, and I think about that all the time, Rick. Let me just say this, let's concentrate on getting married and settling down in one city before we make this decision together?"

"Fair enough," Castle said. They hugged and kissed one last time before Kate pulled out her phone and called Jordan Shaw.

Writer's note: kind words are always welcome.


	12. Chapter 12

It's About My Future-Chapter 12

"Hi Jordan, I am here with Rick and you're on speaker phone. What did you find out?" Kate asked.

"I didn't find anything unusual on Phillip Grady. However, Captain Reese Wells is a different story. He meets the profile of an assassin I have been profiling for the Bureau. When Wells was in the military he served a sniper because of his skill at long range shooting but he also logged high scores on small arms shooting. One report from a Range Safety Officer at Fort Benning states that Wells would show up at the indoor firing range with a belt holster. He would shoot his targets, holster his gun and salute his target. I reviewed all of his combat reports and found that he was suspected on two separate occasions of shooting high level officials in cold blood. Witnesses to the assassinations in Afghanistan said that the murderer saluted his victims after he shot them. Despite that damning piece of evidence nothing ever came of the charges. Two years ago we started seeing reports across the country from witnesses that said they saw a man saluting the murder victim after they collapsed. They were all contract killings. If you hadn't asked me to look into his background we may never have identified Wells as our Unsub. His last sighting was a murder in Florida two months ago. So, he could be anywhere by now. I know that this information doesn't help you but we have issued an APB for his arrest and his picture has been sent to every agent in the Bureau. By tomorrow every law enforcement agency in the country will be looking for this guy. I'll call you when we catch him."

"Yeah, let me know. The AG's office would like to question him about Phillip Grady's murder and his connection to our investigation," Kate said.

"You got it. You'll be my first call," Jordan replied.

"In your research did you come across the name Jeffery Hines or Arantas Solutions in connection with Reese Wells?" Kate asked.

"As a matter of fact, Jeffery Hines was his CO and gave Wells high marks in his reports. I didn't see anything connecting Wells to Arantas Solutions but I wasn't looking. The rumor in town is that Arantas Solutions broke up after they were implicated in the escape of two Afghani prisoners they were contracted to interrogate in Pakistan."

"We've heard that too. Do you think it's possible that Arantas Solutions has gone underground and is now operating off the books as an illegal black ops organization?" Kate asked.

"It's probably more than likely. From what I've heard about Jeffery Hines, he never liked coloring inside the lines, if you know what I mean. He would have to have some political muscle with a very high clearance level shielding him from the CIA, Homeland Security, your office and the Bureau," Jordan said.

"You speak Fed. Could it be a high level Senator?" Castle asked Jordan.

"Did you have someone in mind?" Jordan said.

"We do, but you're better off not knowing," Kate said.

"The answer is yes, but he would also need people in the Pentagon. Jeffery Hines has lots of connections and I am sure there is a long line of people who owe him. What have you guys stumbled upon?" Jordan asked.

"We only have a theory at this time but no evidence to back it up. You've been a great help filling in some of the gaps for us," Kate said.

"I trust you know what you're doing," Jordan said.

"We're a bit fuzzy on the details but a picture is starting to emerge. Thanks again for all your help," Kate said. They said their good byes and hung up.

There was a knock at the door and Castle opened it. Esposito was standing on the other side and said, "Have you two been making out in here all this time?"

"We were until you interrupted us," Castle said. Kate hit his arm and then pulled Esposito into the room closing the door behind him.

A second later, they heard another knock at the door. Castle opened it again and this time Ryan stood in the doorway. "You didn't bother to look and see I was standing behind him," he said, dejected. Castle grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room causing him to lose his balance and fall onto his partner. Castle shut the door.

"We've got some news on Bracken," Kate said. Then she spent the next half hour bringing the boys up to speed on their conversation with McAdams, Captain Paavan, Mr. Abidi and Jordan.

"So Bracken has been using Arantas Solutions to do his dirty work as we suspected," Esposito said. "Do you still want me to follow up with my buddies in the military?"

"No. We know enough about him from McAdam's and Jordan's information to track him down. Jordan already put out an APB on the guy. If they find him, there is going to be a long list of cops with unsolved murders that are going to want a piece of him but Jordan said she would give us first dibs," Kate told the others.

"This morning I asked my uncle about Halstead. He told me not to be fooled by the commendations and his record. He never liked Halstead. Mind you, he didn't have any evidence that Halstead was dirty but he wouldn't put it past him. He said that Halstead surrounded himself with firefighters that would be loyal to him only and my uncle thinks he may have taken payoffs from guys trying to rip off their insurance companies," Ryan said.

"I knew there was something off about that guy," Kate declared.

Castle said, "I called Fariq Yussef but found that he was called back to Syriah after the Arab Spring in 2011, right after our encounter with him. Gaston is in Paris. I could call him later. But after our meeting with Mr. Abidi at Crescent Horizons, I called Anwar El-Masri and set up a meeting at his offices on the Park Avenue for this afternoon," Castle said.

"When did you have time to do that?" Kate asked.

"When you guys were working on building your case against Swartz," he replied.

Castle and El-Masri shared a bond that few men would ever share. Both their daughters had been kidnapped and held for ransom. El-Masri had paid the 15 million Euro ransom which was approximately twenty million dollar for both girls but only his daughter, Sara, had been released by the kidnappers. Gregor Volkov, a former KGB operative, had used the kidnapping of the girls as a way to exact his revenge against Castle's CIA operative father, Jackson Hunt. Volkov knew that kidnapped Sara El-Masri would attract international news. By kidnapping Alexis and Sara together, Volkov knew that Hunt would have no choice but to come out of hiding to rescue his granddaughter. Volkov had a score to settle with Hunt who had killed Volkov's wife in an operation that landed Volkov in prison. What Volkov had not counted on was Richard Castle. Father and son joined forces to rescue Alexis from Volkov. Their efforts led the CIA and Paris Police to the kidnappers and the return of El-Masri's 15 million Euros. El-Masri had told Castle, "I owe you a great debt, my friend. Please let me know if I can ever be of any assistance to you and your family." Months later, Castle had asked El-Masri to use his influence to help promote the Vice President's Environmental initiative. When asked why, Castle had candidly told El-Masri that Senator Bracken was a dirty politician who would stop at nothing to rise to higher office.

"Guys, I've got to call McAdams and bring her up to speed. We…," Kate pointed between herself and Castle, "…need to review Rick's murder board before his meeting with El-Masri. You guys have to finish up your paperwork on Swartz. When is your meeting?" she asked Castle.

"In an hour," he said.

"Okay, meet me at the loft when you are done with your paperwork. You guys can help me go over Bracken's financials again."

-Break-

Kate called McAdams as soon as they got to Castle's loft. McAdams told her that she had been casing shooting ranges, and bars that catered to soccer enthusiasts. The people at the shooting ranges were tightlipped and wouldn't talk to her. She had more success with the sports bars. She found a couple of bartenders that recognized Wells' picture, but they had not seen him since the Grady's murder two weeks earlier. "He paid cash for his drinks and food and mostly kept to himself. I asked them if they remembered if he had spoken to any women while at the bar. One of the bartenders at a British Pub said he had seen Wells leave with one of their regulars about three or four weeks ago, a young woman who is a huge Arsenal fan."

"Does he know her name?" Kate asked.

"I'm getting to that," Mary responded. "Her first name is Moira but he doesn't know her last name. He told me that she doesn't miss an Arsenal game at the pub and Arsenal is playing Sunderland this weekend," Mary told Kate.

"That's great. Maybe we can catch this guy before the FBI does," Kate said.

"I'm going back this evening to talk to more customers. I've got the scent now. I am going to find this guy," McAdams said.

Kate told McAdams that Rachel McCord had been notified by the Captain Paavan about Crescent Horizons payments to Congressman Baines. McAdams was not surprised by this news. "McCord is hardcore. She will use any means necessary to close cases even keeping secrets from other agents. If we take this to her, she will take the information and keep us out of the rest of the investigation. Then, she will claim all the credit. But what really irritates me is that she plays politics. She is always looking to trade information up to catch bigger fish. She won't care about Grady's murder. She'll give Wells a deal to get to his employers and Mrs. Grady and her son will not get justice. That's it, if she's working this case she'll make sure we don't finish what we started."

"Is she really that bad?" Kate asked.

"I'd rather give everything we have to the Phoenix PD that to hand it over to McCord," Mary said. Kate had never seen McAdams this upset. Kate had promised Sharon Grady she would get her husband's killer but she also wanted Bracken. She knew felt that there must be a way for them to get both.

"Stay on Wells, McAdams. I promise to figure something out before McCord can get her hands on our case."

"Got it. Call me later with your plans," McAdams said.

-Break-

"Mr. Castle, it's good to see you again. How is your daughter?" El-Masri asked.

"Please call me Rick or Richard," Castle said. "And Alexis is doing very well. She spent part of the summer in Costa Rica. It took a lot of courage for her to take such a trip. I'm very proud of her. How is Sara?" Castle asked.

"She is well, thank you for asking. She too left for the summer. She and Lena are visiting relatives in Egypt. I admire our daughters' resilience. They are much braver that we are, are they not?" El-Masri said.

Anwar El-Masri's office was one of the most opulent offices Castle had ever visited. It was surrounded by glass floor to ceiling walls that looked out onto the magnificent Manhattan skyline. Unlike Abidi's office, there were no traces of the Middle East in El-Masri's décor. Instead, his office was ultra-modern with the latest in high tech gadgets. He motioned Castle to sit down in one of the chairs facing the Manhattan skyline. El-Masri sat beside him.

"Yes. They are. I must have called her every other day while she was away," Castle said. Alexis had told her father that she still had nightmares but it was because of the nightmares that she needed to go. She knew that if she just closed herself off to the outside world she would not recover from the trauma of being kidnapped. It had been harder for Castle to let his little girl go, but she wasn't his little girl any more. Two weeks into her internship, Castle had flown into San Jose to visit her. It had helped him immensely to see Alexis thoroughly engaged with her peers as they worked and lived alongside researchers in the rainforest. And Alexis had understood that he needed to see her thrive in this environment. After two days, he returned to New York confident she would fully recover from the trauma of the kidnapping. He only wished she had left Pi in Costa Rica.

"Richard, I admire what you did to rescue your daughter," El-Masri said.

"I know you would have done the same, Anwar," Castle reassured him. "I am just glad everything turned out so well."

"So, Richard, what can I do for you?" El-Masri answered.

"Let me just cut to the chase. Is Crescent Horizon's a legitimate charity?" Castle asked.

"Yes. It is involved in many programs in the Middle East. But as you have guessed, it also involved in other activities," El-Masri responded. "Can we speak candidly, Richard?"

"Please," Castle said.

"Crescent Horizons has helped some in my community buy influence with your government officials. Most of Crescent Horizons' programs provide much needed help to poor people in that region of the world but some have used the organization to funnel money to politicians and organizations that favor Middle Eastern business interest. I am sure you are not surprised by this news."

Castle and Beckett had researched Crescent Horizons prior to this meeting. They could not find any connection between Anwar El-Masri and Crescent Horizons other than the pictures in Mr. Abidi's office. "Anwar, with all due respect, how do you know so much about Crescent Horizons?" Castle asked.

El-Masri smiled, "I make it my business to know as much as I can about my community and my business rivals. As you know, I have made enemies in Egypt. I have an extremely capable corporate security team. They are capable of providing information that might affect my business interest or my family. I assure you I am not connected to Crescent Horizons, but I have contributed to their programs as a means to get information about their activities," El-Masri said.

"What do you know about Congressman Baines?" asked Castle.

"Congressman Baines was one of the many politicians Crescent Horizons had bribed," he said. "More importantly, Congressman Baines was being investigated by the FBI. He was scheduled to meet with an undercover agent during an International Journalism Convention in Phoenix. He was going to lead them to Crescent Horizons."

"Why would they bother bribing politicians? I am sure they have enough money to hire lobbyist," asked Castle.

"As I stated, it is customary to pay off officials in the Middle East. Middle Easterners do not have a voting base in the United States and have no influence on public opinion. We are unpopular in this country. Many of us are reviled. So, some have resorted to buying influence."

"What is connection between Crescent Horizons and Arantas Solutions?" asked Castle.

"Arantas Solutions has provided security to international political figures and aid workers at some of the projects Crescent Horizons has been involved in. But Arantas Solutions has since dissolved."

"Did Crescent Horizons have anything to do with the reasons why Arantas Solutions dissolved?" Castle asked. If El-Masri was as well informed as Castle believed him to be, he would know that Arantas Solutions had been suspected of taking a bribe to release prisoners.

"No. Their nefarious activities only extend to bribery of government officials for business interest. But Arantas Solutions did take bribes. The CEO of Arantas Solutions, Jeffery Hines, has been connected to Somali pirates, Saudi interest, and other organizations. Hines is suspected of going underground. He now provides protection to the highest bidder. Crescent Horizons is one of their customers."

"Do you know if there was any connection between Senator Bracken and Arantas Solutions?" asked Castle.

"What I am about to tell you has been a well-guarded secret for many years. Senator Bracken is a very dangerous man," Anwar said. Castle's heart leapt into his throat.

"Senator Bracken's daughter, Lorraine Levitz, was the major stock holder in Arantas Solutions before its dissolution. No one knows about his daughter. She is the product of an extra-marital affair and is interned at a mental institution in Maine away from the prying eyes of Bracken's enemies. She is listed as a major stock holder in various companies most notably Arantas Solutions. This of course, is a fraud as she is incapable of serving on a board of directors. Senator William Bracken was, therefore, the majority stockholder in Arantas Solutions. We have believe that Bracken took the money from a wealthy Saudi family to release two of its Afghani relatives from US custody as part of a scheme to raise money for his political ambitions."

"How has he managed to keep that a secret from his political enemies?" asked Castle.

"Money. Through Arantas Solutions he has silenced his enemies and bribed his friends," El-Masri said.

"Has Crescent Horizons purchased his influence?" asked Castle.

"They have. He is a very ambitious man. I believe he has indicated that he wants to run for President," said El-Masri.

El-Masri stood up and opened a drawer in his desk and withdrew large manila envelope which he gave to Castle. "Inside you will find everything you need to arrest Senator Bracken, Richard, for taking money from Crescent Horizons. This is my gift to you. I always pay my debts."

Castle opened the envelope and pulled out a large file. Inside the file were bank statements, pictures, a ledger and affidavits from several individuals. Castles hands shook as he realized he was holding the evidence that would bring Bracken down. He looked up at El-Masri. "How did you know?" he asked.

"You told me you believed Senator Bracken was not an honorable man," El-Masri told Castle.

"Of course," Castle nodded, remembering that he had asked for El-Masri's help to bring down Senator Bracken's environmental initiative. Castle stood up and shook El-Masri's hand. "Thank you, Anwar."

"It is my pleasure," El-Masri said.

-Break-

"Bribery and hiding an illegitimate daughter…" Kate said. The others watched her as she looked through the envelope El-Masri had given Castle. Esposito, Ryan and Castle knew that getting Bracken for bribery would not be the same as arresting him for her mother's murder.

"It's like getting Al Capone for tax evasion instead of murder and racketeering," Castle said.

"So Arantas Solutions on its own or through Crescent Horizons hired Phillip Grady to take pictures of all the people Congressman Baines was meeting with in Phoenix," Kate said.

"They knew Congressman Baines was meeting with an undercover FBI agent, that's why they wanted the pictures. It would lead them to the undercover agent," Castle said.

"But Grady got caught and became a loose end that could lead law enforcement to Captain Wells," Kate said.

"So, Wells took Grady out," Castle said. "Kate, what do you want to do with this information?" Castle asked her.

"We need Wells," Kate said. "Without him we cannot make the case for Grady's murder."

"Beckett," Esposito interrupted. "Can you trust your friend's at the AG's office with this information?"

"Yeah. How do we know who's in Bracken's pocket?" Ryan asked.

Kate thought about what McAdams had said. It was difficult to trust anyone with this information, especially McCord. They had no idea who Bracken had bought off. Even if McCord was clean, Kate imagined that McCord might use the information to prosecute Crescent Horizons and its board members. It would be easier to go after the trust Middle Easterner business interest than to go against a well-connected Senator. Kate could not be sure that Bracken wouldn't buy or murder his way out of this situation. Without knowing about the murders Bracken had contracted, McCord might miss the forest for the trees.

"I cannot take this information back to DC," Kate said finally. "We need to give this information to Captain Gates. She knows what is at stake and I believe we can trust her." She looked at the others and they all nodded their heads. The NYPD had been her family all these years and the AG's office was too much of an unknown. She owed it to her mother and her friends to bring down Bracken for all of his misdeeds. Gates had promised to use the might of the NYPD to pursue Bracken. Kate would hold her to her promise.

Writer's Note: kind words are always appreciated.


	13. Chapter 13

It's About My Future-Chapter 13

Castle high fived the guy sitting next to him at the crowded pub. "That was awesome. Did you see that header? Sturridge is the man," he said excitedly pulling his glasses off and running his hand over his fake mustache. Beckett was afraid that Castle might be overdoing his cover but given the behavior of the fans around her, he fit right in.

McAdams had called Wells' father earlier that day to ask him more questions regarding his son's habits and favorite teams. Mr. Wells had told her that his son had always been a big fan of Liverpool and never missed a game. Liverpool was a city in Northwestern England that was home to two world class soccer, or as the Brits called it, football teams. Liverpool Football Club had some of the most notorious football fans in the world. They were known for their raucous behavior during games at home and abroad.

Liverpool games always attracted a crowd the bartender at the British Pub had told McAdams. But Liverpool v. Manchester United would attract an even larger crowd than normal. McAdams suggested they stake out the pub just in case Wells showed up. In her experience as a US Marshall, many fugitives felt invisible in large crowds. It had been two weeks since Grady's murder in Phoenix. Wells would probably be ready to come out of his shell for some air. Beckett trusted McAdams intuition. It was her stellar record as a trained hunter that had attracted the attention of the AG's office two years earlier when they had recruited her for the Task Force. Beckett also knew that once the APB on Wells hit the wires he would go into hiding and they might never catch him.

"Nice!" Castle yelled after the Liverpool goalie successfully blocked a shot by Manchester United. After the week they had had, Beckett was glad to see Castle cut loose, even if it came during an undercover assignment. As if sensing her watching him, he turned to her and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. He pulled her in for a hug and whispered in her ear, "You're very nice." He stared into her eyes and Kate felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. He had an uncanny knack for catching her off guard. She beamed up at him for a moment but soon after grabbed a hold of herself. They had a dangerous killer to catch.

Kate had not wanted him to join her at the pub, but he had insisted that it would be more natural if she went with a man. He could make it clear that she was taken and she wouldn't have to spend the evening fending off drunken soccer fans. "I could ask Esposito or Ryan?" Beckett had said, pulling a baseball cap over her head.

"No way," Castle scoffed. "No one would believe that a woman as beautiful as you would fall for one of those guys. No. You need me for this job and I have just the disguise." He showed her a mustache and glasses his mother had given him before leaving New York.

Beckett smiled. "Okay Rick, but do not intervene. Wells is an assassin. I don't want you to get hurt," she said, waiting for him to respond.

"Me…hurt. Bullets bounce off of me," he said. Beckett frowned. "No? Okay, I promise."

"Are you sure I can't talk you into staying home?" Kate asked.

"And miss a chance to play fed with you, no way," he exclaimed as he tried unsuccessfully to attach the fake mustache to his upper lip. Giving up after several attempts, he handed it to Kate to who added more spirit glue and attached to his face. He took the blonde wig Martha had given him and Kate helped him adjust it to his head. "Can't have my legions of fans recognize me while I'm undercover," he said. "How do I look?"

She stepped back to get a better look at him. A Cheshire cat grin swept across Beckett's face. "I think we have time for a game of cable repairman meets lonely housewife," she said wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Only if you put on a blonde wig too," he said brimming over with excitement. Kate took off her baseball cap and threw it across the room.

Two hours later they all met at the AG's office to go over the plan for capturing Reese Wells. Earlier that day, while they were still in New York, they had called Captain Gates and asked her to meet them at Castle's loft to talk about Bracken.

They used Castles electronic murder board to fill her in on what they knew. Beckett told Gates how as a rooky officer Roy Montgomery had joined forces with McCallister and Raglan to kidnap mobsters and hold them for ransom. Bracken was an assistant district attorney at the time and somehow found out what McCallister, Raglan and Montgomery were up to and threatened to expose them if they did not continue the kidnappings and ransom demands to fund is run for public office.

One evening when the three police officers attempted to kidnap Joe Pulgatti, a friend of Pulgatti's, Bobby Armen, tried to intervene on Pulgatti's behalf. Montgomery and Armen struggled and Armen was shot and killed. They later found out that Bobby Armen was actually an undercover FBI agent and not a mobster. Raglan, Montgomery and McCallister arrested Pulgatti for Armen's murder and the kidnappings stopped.

Gates did not seem surprised or appalled by this news. So, Beckett continued telling her that Pulgatti had pled guilty to avoid the death penalty but maintained his innocence and sought out Johanna Beckett for help. Johanna and a team of colleagues had been working on an appeal for Pulgatti. That was when Senator Bracken hired Dick Coonan a former employee of Arantas Solutions to kill Johanna and her colleagues. Beckett struggled with her emotions and Ryan jumped in and took over the story.

He told Gates that Raglan had been assigned Johanna's murder and had chalked it up to gang violence. Years later, Raglan was diagnosed with lymphoma, and contacted Beckett to tell her about her mother's murder. But somehow Bracken found out and sent Hal Lockwood to gun Raglan down before he could confess his sins to Beckett and Castle. During their investigation of Raglan's murder, Hal Lockwood managed to kidnap Ryan and Esposito and torture them for information. Ryan paused his narrative, sadden by the thought that it might have been Montgomery who had tipped off Lockwood.

Esposito put a hand on his partner's shoulder and told Gate that Beckett and Castle saved them and captured Lockwood. Even though they had a mountain of evidence against Lockwood on Raglan's murder and the kidnapping and torture, Lockwood would not talk. He later escaped custody and murdered Captain Montgomery who sacrificed himself to protect Beckett. Unsatisfied, Bracken hired Cedric Marx to shot Beckett.

Castle then told Gates about Mr. Smith and the file that Montgomery had sent him before his death. He explained that Smith had used the file as a means to stop Bracken from harming Beckett or her team. But at some point, Bracken decided to go after Smith and the file. Cedric Marx hired Orlando Costas to break into Montgomery's house to find any information that might lead to Mr. Smith. Marx then killed Costas and tried to throw Beckett off the roof of a building. Marx eventually found Smith and tortured him for the file. He found one copy of the file in Smith's apartment and burned it. The other copy was locked in a safe in Smith's office which was booby trapped and had blown to bits along with Marx. Gates nodded her head in acknowledgement.

Finally, Beckett told Gate that they were able to put together a carbon of a deposit from the bits of paper that Ryan had collected after the bomb blew up the file which led them to a bank account owned by Bracken. "I used that bit of information to make Bracken believe that I was now in possession of the file and made a deal with him. I promised not to release the file as long as he did not harm me or anyone I care about."

Becket explained what they knew about Arantas Solutions and its connection to Crescent Horizons. They suspected that Sargent Grady had been hired by Captain Wells to take pictures of anyone meeting with Congressman Baines in Arizona because they had been tipped off that Baines was going to meet with an undercover FBI agent who was trying to expose them. "Wells had always planned on killing Grady. Just like Marx had always planned on killing Orlando Costas. Why else would he have revealed himself to someone who could tell the authorities his true identity," she said.

"The evidence you have connects Bracken to Arantas Solutions and the bribes he received from Crescent Horizons, correct?" Gates asked. They all nodded. "Do I want to know how you got this information?"

"Captain, let's just say a very grateful and very rich father used his vast resource to pay back a debt," Castle told her.

Gates understood his meaning and said, "Well, let's make sure that Senator Bracken never finds out about this very grateful and very rich father."

"You know it's not me," Castle said, sheepishly.

"Yes, Mr. Castle. I got the hint." She rolled her eyes at him. Castle smiled his goofy smile and did a head bobble.

Beckett pulled out the evidence and went through it with Gates. She also showed Gates the information El-Masri had gathered about Bracken's illegitimate daughter and her connection to Arantas Solutions. "But you don't have anything that directly connects him to your mother's murder or to the attempts on your lives?" Gates asked.

"No. But this is enough to arrest him," Beckett explained.

"Will you be satisfied with an arrest for bribery?"

"No. But it's all we have," Beckett replied. "Captain, he will continue to hurt people as long as he's allowed to roam free in society. I would rather see him rot in jail for bribery that to watch his political star grow," Beckett said. "We have to stop him. There is no telling how many murders he has committed to get where he is."

"Agreed," was all Gates said.

"If we get Wells he might lead us to the others," Kate added.

"And you think you and your partner in DC have a line on Wells?" Gates asked.

"We do," Beckett said. She updated Gates on the fact that her partner had profiled that Wells would be at the pub to watch the Liverpool v. Manchester United game that night in DC.

"Ryan, Esposito," Gates said. "I want you two to accompany Agent Beckett to DC to assist her in the apprehension of this man. You cannot trust anyone else with this. I will cover you from here in New York. If we can get him to turn on the others, the whole house of cards crumbles. Once you have him in custody, call me immediately. I will take full responsibility." Gates stood up from her seat behind Castle's desk and headed for the door. She stopped at the doorway and turned to her team. "Don't screw this up. If you do, we will all go down for this," she warned.

"Oh, and Mr. Castle…I just want to let you know…you have a very lovely home," she said, and then left the apartment.

After the meeting with Gates, Castle rented a jet that flew the team down to DC. When they arrived they headed to the AG's office where they met with McAdams. Ryan and Esposito were introduced to others at the AG's Task Force offices as NYPD detectives who were consulting because they were searching for a suspect that met Wells' profile. McAdams told Beckett that McCord was out of town on assignment. So there was a very good chance that she would be unable to interfere in the case, but they would have to act quickly.

Beckett looked over at McAdams and Ryan. They sat at a high top table at the back of the pub. McAdams shook her head slightly to let Beckett know that she did not see Wells. Ryan cheered much like Castle as he scanned the crowd for their suspect. Beckett nodded her head toward the bathroom indicating to McAdams that she would be making the first pass through the crowd. "Castle, I'm going to the restroom," she yelled into his ear. Castle stopped her and pulled her in for another kiss. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" she said.

"Four o'clock, green baseball cap back of the room," he said into her ear and chin nodded toward the mirror behind the bar. She looked up at the mirror and spotted Wells sitting at a high top table against the back wall two tables away from Ryan and McAdams. She pulled out her phone and texted Esposito. They had agreed that the bar would be too crowded to take down Wells. Instead, they would keep an eye on him until he left and would follow him outside where they would arrest him. There were only two enterances/exits to the pub. One was the main entrance of the pub and the other was through the kitchen to the back alley.

Esposito strode into the crowded pub and walked over to Wells. "Is this seat taken?" Esposito asked. Wells shook his head and pulled the barstool away from Wells' table and into the aisle.

A waitress strode over and told him that he could not block the aisle. Esposito turned to Wells and asked him if he could share the table. Wells indicated that it was alright. Esposito sat to Wells' right, his chair turned to the big television screen.

Wells cheered his team as did Esposito. After a few minute the two men were fully engaged in talk about the game. As the game, ended Wells shook Esposito's hand and headed toward the exit. Ryan and McAdams had already left the pub and were waiting outside to take down Wells. Beckett signaled to Castle who was talking to his neighbor. "Are you alright to drive, honey?" she said to him as she pretended to be drunk.

"Of course, I am sweet heart," Castle said. He stood up to help her to the exit. Wells turned suddenly toward the restroom and Beckett pushed Castle against the wall and attacked his lips. They stood their making out until Wells came out of the bathroom and headed for the door.

Beckett straightened out and she and Castle followed Wells out. As they walked outside Wells grabbed Beckett's arm and in a swift move swung her into Ryan. McAdams identified herself and chased after him. Esposito jumped over Beckett and Ryan in pursuit. McAdams turned to Esposito and threw him her car keys. "Block the south exit," McAdams ordered.

Wells turned the corner to the side alley with McAdams in pursuit. Ryan followed close behind her. Beckett stood up and ran back inside the pub and through the kitchen toward the back door with Castle at her heels. As they approached the door, they saw that it had been left open by the kitchen staff. Gun drawn Beckett stopped at the open door and poked her head out. A shot rang out and Beckett took cover inside the pub. They needed to take Wells alive if they had any chance of connecting him to Bracken.

"Wells, give it up. You are surrounded," Beckett shouted out the door. He shot again from behind the dumpster. If she was correct, McAdams and Ryan had probably taken cover at the north corner of the alley. Esposito would be at the south corner. "You're trapped. Come out with your hands up." Instead of coming out, Wells shot at the doorway. Bits of the frame flew in the air an inch from Beckett's shoulder.

"I can't get a clean shot," Beckett whispered to Castle.

"Kate, I could draw him out like we did in the voodoo case," Beckett nodded, and Castle grabbed a couple of bottles of beer out of a nearby cooler. Beckett told the kitchen staff to kill the lights in the alley.

"Throw them to the south. He'll think its Esposito," Beckett instructed. She lowered herself to the ground and continued in a whisper, "On three. One…two…three."

Castle threw the bottles one after the other out the door. They shattered upon impact and Wells stood up to shoot. Kate pointed her gun at his legs and shot at Wells. The big man went down. Ryan and McAdams ran around the corner and cuffed Wells. Esposito rolled up in a black SUV. "Reese Wells you are under arrest for evading a law enforcement officer and for attempted murder," she said as Ryan pushed him into the vehicle. McAdams and Esposito traded places, and McAdams drove them back to the AG's office.

"How's the leg," asked Beckett.

"He'll live," Ryan said.

Writer's Note: Kind words are always appreciated.


	14. Chapter 14

It's About My Future-Chapter 14

Soon after arriving at the AG's Office,Wells was taken to interrogation where Esposito and Ryan took turns asking him questions all night, while McAdams and Beckett worked on building a case against him. Beckett called Captain Gates and filled her in on the arrest. Beckett's second call was to Jordan Shaw. Shaw filled Beckett and McAdams in on the murders that Wells was suspected of committing. She told them that several witnesses to those murders had already identified Wells as the saluting assassin.

By day break, the FBI working along with the Attorney General's Task Force had bagged several guns, ammunition and identification found in Wells' apartment. They found bank statements but no paperwork that led straight to Arantas Solutions. They put a rush on ballistics and got a match on the bullet that killed Sargent Grady to one of Wells' guns.

As news of the incident at the pub hit the airwaves, Moira, the girl Wells had left the pub with four weeks earlier came forward. The bartender at the pub had run into her at a nearby coffee shop and gave her McAdams card. McAdams and Beckett allowed Castle to sit in while they interviewed Moira.

"He told me that he worked as a consultant for the pentagon but wouldn't tell me more. He had been far more interested in talking about me than talking about himself which always makes me suspicious," she said. "I had liked him and even considered sleeping with him but thought better of it."

Castle asked, "While you were talking about you," he pointed at her, "Did he mention anything about himself?"

Moira thought back. "Somehow we landed on the topic of mentors," she said. "And he stated that he would do anything for his mentor. I joked that he was being dramatic and surely he wouldn't die for his mentor. But he looked at me seriously and merely said he would. I guess that would be the most personal thing he told me," Moira said. Moira went on to tell them that the date ended with him dropping her off in front of her apartment.

Esposito and Ryan gave up interrogating Wells after several hours without any results. They put him in a holding cell where he immediately fell asleep. After an hour, though, Beckett and McAdams were ready to question him. He was woken up and brought back to interrogation. Castle, Esposito and Ryan watched in the adjoining video room as Beckett and McAdams took a seat across from Wells. But sleep deprivation was not enough to rattle Wells.

"Mr. Wells, what can you tell us about Arantas Solutions?" Beckett asked but he did not respond. "What is your relationship to Jeffery Hines and Senator William Bracken?" she waited but he remained silent. "Mr. Wells it may interest you to know that we searched your apartment and found the gun you used to murder Phillip Grady," Beckett said. Wells stared right through her and did not flitch. "It may also interest you to know that we have connected you to four other murders through eyewitnesses," she added but Wells remain unmoved. He was a military man and was trained not to give up any information during interrogations. Beckett would have to change her style if she was going to crack this nut. She turned to McAdams and gave her a wink.

"Agent McAdams, did you know that Arizona has the death penalty for murder?" she said as she circled around Wells clockwise.

McAdams stood up and circled around Wells counter clockwise and replied, "I did know that, Agent Beckett. So, Mr. Wells is looking at death by lethal injection."

"Yes, Agent McAdams, he is. I bet he thinks that Senator Bracken and Jeffery Hines are sending a top notch attorney to save him from the needle. Agent McAdams, should we tell him that we have arrested Senator Bracken and Jeffery Hines for bribery?" Beckett asked, continuing to circle around Wells.

"No, Agent Beckett. I think we should let him live under the delusion that his knight in shining armor is going to rescue him," McAdams said, continue to circle around Wells counter clockwise.

"Agent McAdams, should we tell him that we have found evidence that Arantas Solutions took money to release two Afghani prisoners which is an act of treason against the United States of America?" Beckett asked. The sleep deprivation was starting to take its toll on Wells. He started to sag in his seat.

Beckett yelled, "Hey, Captain Wells! Don't you dare fall asleep on me! We're not done here," she said, slamming her hand on the table. Wells straightened up immediately. They knew they were getting to him but could they get him to implicate Arantas Solutions.

"Don't be so hard on him, Agent Beckett. He hasn't slept in hours. I am sure he is very tired and would like nothing better than to sleep. In fact, Agent Beckett, I believe I am tired too." McAdams let out a big yawn. "Agent Beckett, did you know that yawning is contagious. I probably shouldn't yawn in front of Captain Wells. It might cause him to become more tired and irritable."

"Agent McAdams, we wouldn't want to irritate Captain Wells. Maybe we should make him an offer so that he can go back to holding to get some sleep. Agent McAdams, would you be willing to offer Captain Wells life in prison instead of a lethal injection if he will tell us who took out the contract on Sargent Grady?" Beckett asked, as she and McAdams continued to circle around Wells, causing him to become more disoriented.

"Yes, Agent Beckett, I think that we have a deal we can offer him if he will tell us who contracted him to kill Sargent Grady."

"Agent McAdams, maybe we should let Arizona execute him," Beckett said.

"Will you two just stop. You're more annoying that nails on a chalk board," Wells finally said.

Beckett turned to the small 8 by 11 chalk board hanging on the wall next to the door, "You mean like this," she said as she scratched her nails over the chalk board. McAdams and Wells covered their ears, but since Wells' hands were shackled to the table he couldn't reach his ears to cover them. Beckett ran her nails across the board one last time to make her point.

"Agent McAdams, I think we should go. We don't need him." Beckett's heart pounded in her chest. If he did not break soon, they may never get the evidence that might lead to her mother's murder. They had lied about the evidence they had found regarding the bribes for the Afghani prisoners but he did not know that. She looked over at McAdams who shook her head at Beckett.

"Oh, Agent Beckett, did you know that Jeffery Hines has been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer?" she said. Having been in New York the past few days helping with the serial case, Beckett had not had a chance to run a search on Jeffery Hines but she was glad her partner had.

"Yes, Agent McAdams, I did know," she played along.

"Agent Beckett, it does not appear as though Captain Wells is interested in dealing for his life, but maybe he would be in a dealing mood for Jeffery Hines who may be unable to deal because he is lying in a hosptital bed. I heard that he is not expected to live more than a week. Maybe Captain Wells is a hero after all and will lead us to Arantas Solutions' black ops location in exchange for hospice care for Mr. Hines. Agent Becket, do you think Captain Wells will let his former CO and mentor die without dignity in federal prison?" McAdams asked.

Beckett leaned down an inch away from his face and looked into his eyes. "Are you going to let Hines die alone, Wells, or are you ready to step up for your mentor and do something about it?"

Wells inhaled deeply. "I will give you what you want if you promise me that Hines will be given hospice care," Wells said. "You can find all the documents you are looking for on Mott Street in the Bowery." The Bowery was a neighborhood in the southern portion of New York City. Mott Street was one of its busiest streets in the city.

Wells was formally arrested and booked for the murder of Phillip Grady. There would be a fight as to who would get to prosecute him first. But he would pay for his crimes and Beckett and McAdams felt a great sense of satisfaction knowing Mrs. Grady and her son would get the justice they deserved.

They didn't tell Wells that they had not arrested Hines or Bracken, nor did they tell him that the federal government had a well-guarded hospice prison. It was the prison's policy to allow the family to visit with the prisoner before his death. So, Hines would die in prison after all.

Beckett turned to McAdams, "What you did...using Hines to break Wells...that was brilliant."

"I was really impressed with your change in interrogation tactic...Agent Beckett," McAdams said.

"Ladies, you are both extraordinary," Castle added.

Castle's rented jet flew the team back to New York that afternoon. Within hours of landing in New York City, the team raided the address Wells had given them. It would take hours if not days to find the evidence connecting Arantas Solutions and Bracken to Beckett's shooting or to her mother's murder. Hines was arrested at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He was very weak from radiation treatment but if the treatment worked his prognosis was good, his doctor told them. Captain Gate sent the team to arrest Senator Bracken next. He was giving a speech on stronger sentencing guidelines at a private fund raising function at the Waldorf Astoria.

As the team rode to the Waldorf, Castle turned to Beckett, and asked, "How are you doing, Kate?"

She smiled up at him and placed her hand on his. "I'm okay, Castle," she assured him, but she did not look it. She looked unmoved. One could even describe her as looking numb. Castle guessed that she had not yet processed what was happening. She was too focused on the task at hand. Once the significance of this arrest and the realization that the years of hunting for her mother's murderer were coming to an end hit her, Castle knew Beckett would fall to pieces and he would need to be there for her. He knew that her ordeal would not be over with his arrest. There would be a trial and appeals, and the possibility that Bracken may find a way out of prison. Beckett had once told him that she couldn't bear the thought that her mother's killer might get off on a technicality. It had been one of her greatest fears and had been the only thing to hold her back from investigating her mother's murder for a period of time. Castle would have to steel himself for the emotional avalanche that would follow. He would not let her down. He was willing to give her anything she needed to get through this, even if she needed time alone.

Castle remembered how they had met. She had been full of sass and had actually walked up to him badge in hand and rolled her eyes as she said his name. There he was, surrounded by his adoring fans and in had walked this beautiful creature who had the audacity to treat him like he was an annoyance in her day. She had started her interview at the precinct by going through his rap sheet. He had tried to be smart; he had tried to be cute; he had tried to be irreverent; he even tried to be the bad boy; but none of it had worked on Detective Beckett. All she did was remind him that she had a job to do and none of his antics would keep her from doing it. All else having failed he tried his Sherlock Holmes routine. She had challenged him to figure out her story. Her eyes were full of mocking disdain and humor when he told her that good looking smart women like her usually became lawyers not cops. Her eyes lost their humor when he told her she was wounded. They lost their mocking disdain when he told her that something must have happen to someone she loved. He knew he should have stopped but kept going intrigued by the story unfolding before of him. He told her she would probably live with the fact that the person responsible was never caught. Every word he uttered stripped away a piece of her armor until it was all gone and she stood there, emotionally naked in front of him. He finally did the gentlemanly thing and averted his eyes while she regained her composure. All she said was, "Don't think you know me." But he did, didn't he. He figured her out like no one before had ever done and he knew that from that moment on he would do anything for her...but let her go.

Bracken noticed Beckett striding toward him in the hallway outside the dining room where he was scheduled to speak. He said, "Agent Beckett, what can I do for you?" He quirked an eyebrow up as he watched the Agents and Detectives approach him. It was apparent from his demeanor that he was unaware of the arrests and the raid performed earlier in the day.

"So, you know that I am an Agent at the Attorney General's Office," Beckett said.

"Yes, Agent Beckett, I have taken a great interest in your career since you saved my life," he replied. "I repeat, what can I do for you? As you can see, I am about to take the stage for an important speech."

"You will not be making that speech, Senator Bracken, or any other speeches for that matter. Senator William H. Bracken it gives me great pleasure to inform you that you are under arrest for bribery," Beckett said as she handcuffed him behind his back.

"I will have your badge for this," he spat out angrily.

"No you won't. It's over Bracken and I won," she said, staring into his darkening eyes. "You may not go down for my mother's murder but make no mistake… you are going down," she stated bitterly.

"I beg to differ, Agent Beckett," McAdams interrupted. "Senator Bracken, you are also under arrest for the murders of Johanna Beckett, Diane Cavanaugh, Jennifer Steward, Scott Murray, Roy Montgomery, Gary McCallister, John Raglan and for the felony murder of Robert Armen."

Beckett and her team stared at McAdams in disbelief as McAdams winked at them and handed Bracken over to a team of officers. Bracken turned to his Chief of Staff and grinding his teeth said, "Evan, call my lawyer."

McAdams turned to the team, smiled and said, "My name is not Mary McAdams. It's Rachel McCord."

…

Writer's Note: Please let me know what you think. Kind words are a writer's reward.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

They sat in the conference room stunned by the events of the day. Bracken was arrested for murder, conspiracy, bribery and a slew of other charges would be added once all the dust settled. McAdams had told the team that she was really Rachel McCord but, then, told the team to meet her and Captain Gates in the conference room at the 12th Precinct. Castle and Beckett hitched a ride in Esposito's and Ryan's vehicle. No one uttered a word the entire ride. They assembled in the conference room as ordered. Gates and McCord joined them 30 minutes later.

Both women stood at the end of the table. Gates said, "As you all know, before being assigned to captain the 12th Precinct I worked in Internal Affairs. My last assignment for IA before moving to the 12th was investigating John Raglan and Gary McCallister and their involvement in Robert Armen's murder and the kidnapping of mobsters. Agent Beckett, your investigation into Raglan's death and its connection to your mother's murder did not escape our attention. When we looked into Raglan's and McCallister's known associates we came across Captain Montgomery. It was clear to us that if he wasn't involved in the kidnappings of the mobsters he had to have known who was because of his relationship to Raglan and McCallister. As we were closing in on Captain Montgomery, McCallister was murdered and Hal Lockwood escaped. Montgomery knew we were closing in on him and came forward voluntarily. You see, Lockwood threatened to kill Montgomery's family if he did not turn you over to Lockwood. He had no choice but to cooperate with IA."

"I don't understand. Why did he lure me to the hanger to kill Lockwood if he had decided to cooperate with IA?" Beckett asked.

Castle said, "He's alive, isn't he? You used us to stage his murder to convince Bracken that he was dead in order to protect his family. As long as he was alive, they would always be a pawn to control Montgomery."

"Very good, Mr. Castle. Montgomery came to us with a deal. If we staged his death and promised to provide his family with his pension benefits, he would lead us to the dragon," Gates said.

"But why send the file to Mr. Smith?" Castle asked. "Why didn't you arrest Bracken?"

"We didn't have enough to arrest Bracken for all the murders. Bracken is an extremely powerful man. Had we arrested him then, he would have said that the NYPD was using him as a scapegoat to cover-up the crimes of its own officers. Montgomery's file had deposits into Bracken's account but Bracken had the warehouse were all the account information was stored burnt down. Montgomery did not have any concrete evidence that Bracken had taken a contract out to kill your mother and her colleagues. Dick Coonan and Hal Lockwood were dead. We needed to know where he was getting his supply of killers," Gates explained. "And we needed to connect him to those killers."

"When you were assigned to Montgomery's precinct, he began to look into your mother's murder but stopped because Bracken threatened to kill his family. He made a deal with Bracken that he would keep you away from your mother's murder in exchange for your life and theirs. Once it became obvious that he could no longer protect you and his family we needed to take his family out of the equation and make a new arrangement. We padded the file that Montgomery sent to Mr. Smith with information we did not have but suspected to be true. We attached a letter from Montgomery telling Smith to contact Mr. Castle to keep you away from the case. Unfortunately, we did not realize that Mr. Castle would investigate on his own," Gates said, a look of disapproval on her face. Castle merely shrugged. "Fortunately, Mr. Castle's meddling did not get on Bracken's radar."

Gates would later tell them that Mr. Smith and Montgomery served in the military together. Montgomery had saved Smith's life during a standoff with a mentally disturbed serviceman at Fort Drum. After they left the military, they each went their separate ways professionally but remain friends. As a corporate and legal fixer of sorts, Mr. Smith was used to manipulating powerful people. Montgomery had turned a blind eye a couple of times for his friend during his career. Smith was well connected and they believed him capable of taking care of himself. Unfortunately, they were too late to stop Marx. IA had staked out Smith's residence when Ryan figured out who Marx was targeting, but Marx escaped their detection and it wasn't until their team spotted Beckett and Castle breaking into Smith's apartment that they realized that Smith was in danger. By then the damage had been done and Mr. Smith passed away from the injuries he had sustained during Marx's beating.

Esposito said, "So Montgomery is in Witness Relocation."

"Yes. Bracken must not know he is alive or he will try to kill his family, so I am sure I don't need to tell you that everything that is said in this room is must never be discussed again," Gates exclaimed. They all nodded their heads in acknowledgement. The shock that Montgomery was still alive had lifted their spirits but the realization that neither they nor his family would ever see him again was heartbreaking. Even if Bracken was completely neutralized and Montgomery felt secure enough to come out of hiding, the NYPD would not allow him to slip back into his old life for fear of exposure. They had made a deal with a dirty cop to allow his wife and children to keep his pension and benefits. This might cause a scandal at One Police Plaza. There would be no happy reunion. For his sins, Montgomery would have to watch his children and wife move on with their lives without him. Each member of the team knew how much he loved his family and understood the extent of his sacrifice.

Gates said, "I contacted the AG's office when Bracken's life was threatened. I was afraid that having saved his life might motivate you to go after him. We needed to keep tabs on your efforts to bring him down."

"Was that why I was offered the job?" Beckett asked.

McCord moved forward and said, "We were working different angles of the case but were getting nowhere. As luck would have it, Agent Stack's drone case brought him in direct contact with you," McCord told Beckett. "He was extremely impressed with your skills and took the opportunity to steal you away from Captain Gates. I head the New York office and Stack works for me. We wanted you for our New York office but did not want you to know that I was working on your shooting. After your six week training, the AG's office received a referral to investigate Grady's murder. I wanted to see you in action myself and I needed to keep you away from Bracken. As you know, the case was sensitive in nature because it involved politics and bribery. I had no idea it would lead to Arantas Solutions or Senator Bracken. I was merely masquerading as Mary McAdams to see if you were working on finding evidence against Senator Bracken. I figured it would be easier for you to work with an equal than a superior. Your instincts regarding the case surprised me. It didn't dawn on me that by looking into the bribery aspect of the Grady case might lead to other politicians willing to accept bribes. Connecting the bribes to Bracken and Arantas Solutions broke the case."

"But that wasn't me. Esposito and Ryan connected Marx to Arantas Solutions and Senator Bracken. Castle connected Crescent Horizons to Bracken and Arantas Solutions through El-Masri," Beckett said.

"It was all of the above. I was most impressed with your efforts as a team. The group dynamic is unparalleled. You work a case from four different perspectives never losing sight of your goal. The four of you together are a powerful weapon," McCord told the team. She stopped after getting a text on her phone. Having read it, she turned back to the team and Captain Gates and said, "FBI and CSU teams at the warehouse have found all the evidence we need to nail Senator Bracken. It's over."

It's over. Those works repeated in Kate's head. After the meeting, the team was dismissed with instructions to meet again in the same room at 10:00 am. McCord and Gates would supervise the search of the documents and make further arrests throughout the night. Rick and Kate caught a cap back to the loft. Still too stunned by the days events they said nothing during the ride. As they walked into the loft, Alexis and Martha rushed over to great them. Jim Beckett just stood waiting for his daughter and future son-in-law to notice him. "Dad," Kate said, as she ran into his arms. "It's over, Dad. We caught mom's murderer."

Jim Beckett hugged his daughter and said, "I love you, sweetheart." And with that, Kate burst into tears. Castle, Alexis and Martha moved to the kitchen to busy themselves with dinner and gave Jim and Kate the privacy they needed. "I'm glad you got him but I am even happier that you are safe. I couldn't bear losing you too, Katie." He helped wipe away her tears. Kate smiled and composed herself.

"I'm not going anywhere Dad," she said.

"Even better," Jim said. "Now let's join the others. Martha and Alexis have prepared a wonderful dinner for us. Oh, have you met Alexis' new boyfriend, Pi? Did you know that he recently spent time in with the Massai in Africa?" Jim said raising his eyebrow.

"Really?" was all she said as they moved over to the table to join the others for a late dinner.

-Break-

"How are you feeling?" Castle asked as they prepared for bed.

Dinner with the family had been a welcome change from the Bracken case. Kate felt a sense of relief. "I'm fine, Rick," she said. "I know this is going to sound funny coming from me, but I feel like my mom is finally at peace," she told him pausing for a moment to acknowledge her mother. "Maybe, I'm just projecting my own sense of peace on to my mother."

"Don't be so sure, Kate. Something or someone has been driving you all these years. Now that your mother has gotten justice, she has set you free."

They each climbed into bed and Kate scooted over to Castle who held her in his arms. Her back was against his chest and she turned her head to kiss him. They slid under the covers into a spooning position and fell fast asleep.

The next morning, Kate woke up to the smell of coffee and pancakes. She smiled and rose out of bed to join Castle in the kitchen. Instead of Castle, Kate found Alexis and Martha. "Oh, I thought Rick was out here," Kate said as she took a seat at the breakfast bar.

"Richard had a meeting with the realtor to sell your apartment," Martha said. Kate had forgotten that she had asked him to sell her apartment. Martha looked at Alexis who was flipping the pancakes and said, "Well, ask her."

"Asking what?" said Kate.

"Gram!" Alexis exclaimed. Alexis had a burning question for Kate and it became apparent that now was as good a time as any to ask it. "I was wondering…if maybe, I could move into your apartment? It's close to school and Dad said it's on a safe block close to the subway. He also said it's quite charming. You wouldn't have to store or sell your furniture. It would save me from living in a dorm." Alexis' blue eyes shined with excitement and bewilderment at the same time.

Kate said, "Alexis, let me discuss it with your father and get back to you. After the debacle with your boyfriend regarding my commitment level, I wouldn't want your father to get the idea that I wanted to keep the apartment for any other reason than to give it to you."

Alexis jumped with excitement and squealed as she ran around the island and hugged Kate. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I already asked him and he said yes. I've got to call him right now to stop him from putting it on the market." She ran to grab her cell phone and call her father.

"That is very kind of you Katherine," Martha said patting Kate's hand. "Have you and Richard decided whether you are going to sell this place?" she asked.

"Sell this place?" Kate parroted back.

"Why, yes. Even if you are assigned New York at the end of your probationary period, I thought you both would want to pick out a place together. You know, dear…fresh start."

"No, we hadn't talked about it. But I don't want him to give up the loft. I thought I would move in and we would make some adjustments together. Martha, you don't think I am trying to kick you out because that couldn't be furthest from the truth," Kate said taking Martha's hand.

Martha looked down at their joined hands and said, "Oh dear, that is very sweet of you, but I am a big girl, I'm not needed here anymore. Alexis is grown and doesn't need me to mother her and Richard has you. Darling, I don't want to be a bother." The thought of Martha leaving the loft saddened Kate in a way she hadn't expected. She had grown accustom to sharing space with these people and she knew from her time in DC that she missed their voices when she was away.

"If it is alright with you, Martha, could you stick around for a little while longer? I have been without a mother for a very long time and it is nice to have someone to fill some of that void. At least through the wedding, please? I need you to help me pick a dress and plan and teach me what I need to know."

"Oh, Darling, I would be honored. I've been married several times and am very good at weddings. It would be my pleasure to share this with you. Thank you." Martha came around the island and gave Kate a hug.

Alexis joined them after her phone call and gave them a quizzical look. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Kate needs our help to pick a wedding dress."

Alexis jumped up and squealed again and joined the hug. "This day just keeps getting better and better. Lanie and I have been looking at dresses for you during our lunch hour at the morgue. We have a bet going on how long it's going to take you to pick a date and whether you would want to be married in a dress or a suit. We both said dress but Ryan and Esposito said pant suit." Alexis looked at Kate expecting an answer.

Kate simply said, "Dress. But slow down Alexis, I have to talk to Rick about the date. Once we have a date picked out, we can start dress shopping."

Alexis beamed, "This is going to be so great."

"What is going to be great?" asked Rick as he entered the apartment. Kate rose from her seat to kiss him.

"The wedding," she said to him. "I've asked Martha and Alexis to help me pick a dress…and of course, Lanie will help too."

"Of course," said Rick in a mocking tone. Kate slapped him on the arm but smiled at him.

"What about you, big Rick, have you picked a best man yet?" Kate asked.

"Again, thank you for calling me Big Rick…" he said.

A chorus of "Dad," "Rick," and "Richard" rang out at the same time from the women.

"I have. Choosing the right best man for a man like myself is no easy feat. He has to be able to deliver a kickass bachelor party and get me to the alter on time. Therefore, Esposito will be charged with the bachelor party duties and Ryan will make sure that I get to the alter on time. It's a two man job."

Now it was Kate's turn to beam. "I concur. I have already asked Lanie to be my maid of honor and, Alexis, I would be honored if you would be my one and only brides maid."

"I would be honored," the beautiful red head replied, giving Kate another hug.

"Who's been cooking?" Castle said.

"Alexis and I," Martha replied. "Please, sit down. Don't you two have a very important meeting to get to this morning?" Rick and Kate smiled lingering in each other's arms a while longer before they joined the others for breakfast.

-Break-

At the precinct, while the team went through the documents from the raid at the warehouse, McCord pulled Beckett aside for a brief discussion. "Kate, as you have probably guessed by now, you will be assigned to our New York office. However, given your relationship with your team I have a proposition for you." McCord waited for a reaction from Kate.

"Go ahead," was all Kate said, intrigued by the proposition.

"I would like to install you at the 12th Precinct. Captain Gates and I have discussed the fact that the AG's office lacks the man power to do a lot of the work needed on major crimes. Therefore, we have proposed to our superiors and joint task force including agents from the FBI, the NYPD and the AG's office to work major crimes of local and national importance in the New York and surrounding areas. We would like you to head the squad. I have asked that Detective's Ryan and Esposito be added and have made arrangements to include Mr. Castle as a consultant. Detective Ellis would be in charge of technical support. In addition, Jordan Shaw from the FBI would liaise between the task force and the FBI. Doctor Parish will head the coroner's and forensic units. Captain Paavan was very impressed with you and Mr. Castle and will assign a liaison to the team. This joint task force would be the first of its kind and we are confident in the team we have assembled. You would report both to me and Captain Gates. You would work out of this building and have access to FBI analyst and NYPD crime scene investigators. Captain Gates and I would have discretion to bring in more officers, agents and detectives on an as needed basis. This would be a pilot program and after a year we would be subject to review. How does that sound to you?"

"Did you really work as a U.S. Marshall?" asked Kate.

McCord was not surprised by her question. She was asking Kate to trust her and knew she would have to answer some questions if she was going to solidify that trust. "Yes. I spent five years as a U.S. Marshall but then I decided to get my legal degree. After law school, I found that I did not like practicing law but understood that there was a lack of appreciation for the law in law enforcement. As luck would have it, I mentioned my concerns to during an interview for a position as an assistant US attorney. That led to a meeting with the Attorney General himself and the formation of his task force."

"Are you married? Do you have children?" Kate asked.

"I am not married but I have two grown sons and one of them is about to make me a grandmother. Yes. It is very difficult to raise children when you have a full time career in law enforcement. I have been lucky to have a partner who could commit to our children. I believe in having a full life. It keeps things in perspective. I don't think anybody should have to conform to a particular stereotype of what a good agent should be. It is as individual as the color of your underwear. None of us know where life will lead us. I found that as you make your way in life certain unexpected opportunities present themselves and you never know where those opportunities will lead," she explained. "Now, Kate. What do you say?"

"Agent McCord, I think you know my answer but just to make sure we are all on the same page…Yes, I want the job."

McCord and Captain Gates would be busy sorting out the Bracken case and needed Kate to take control of the team. The rest of the day was spent filling the others in on what was happening. The team assembled for their first meeting that afternoon. McCord and Gate assigned them the murder of a chemical engineer suspected of working on chemical weapons. The threat was enough for Captain Paavan to make an appearance before the newly formed task force to introduce his liaison, Takumi Sato, a former bomb disposal unit officer. The team hit the ground running.

After the meeting, Kate pulled Javi aside. "I trust we are not going to have a problem between you, Ellis and Lanie?" Kate said.

"Why what have you heard?" Javier asked.

"Javi are you dating both of them?"

Javier looked chagrin, "Not really. I asked Ellis out for coffee once."

"To make Lanie jealous?" Kate asked.

"Lanie is a hard nut to crack. I had to do something to get her to pay me some attention," he justified.

"Cut it off with one of them. And by one of them, I mean Ellis. You cannot date a co-worker in the same department." Javier looked at her incredulous. "I'm the boss and the exception," she said, a smile creeping out of her tough exterior. He saluted her as he got back to work.

"Everything okay?" Castle asked.

Kate smiled. "No, Rick, we've got a case to solve and we don't have any leads," she said.

"I had a few ideas," Castle responded, and as he told her his ideas Kate had never felt so satisfied in her life.

The End

Writers note: Please let me know what you thought of this story. Any feedback, even one work, would be appreciated. I thank you for hanging in until the end. Those of you who have written reviews have a special place in my heart. I am very excited about the upcoming season and hope it inspires me to write more.


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